set-off

plural set-offs

1. datedSomething used to improve the appearance; a decoration, an ornament.First known use 17th c.
2. The act of setting off on a journey; a departure, a start.First known use 18th c.
3. lawA counterclaim; a distinct claim filed or set up by the defendant against the plaintiff's demand.First known use 18th c.
4. generallyAnything set off against another thing; a compensation, a counterbalancing circumstance.First known use 18th c.

   D. Jerrold I do not contemplate such a heroine as a set-off to the many sins imputed to me as committed against woman.

   1 more example

   [A]ll of them, of whatever age, require opportunities for rest and reading and indoor amusements, as a set-off against the constant strain on mind and body of looking after lunatics.

   1921, Montagu Lomax, The Experiences of an Asylum Doctor, London: Allen & Unwin, page 193

5. businessThe situation where a bank or similar organisation repays itself money owed by an accountholder out of his or her account.
6. mediaAn offset.