detraction (n.)

mid-14c., detraccioun, "the vice of slandering;" late 14c., "act of disparaging or belittling, act of depreciating the powers or performance of another;" from Old French detraccion "detraction, disparagement, denigration" (12c.) and directly from Latin detractionem (nominative detractio) "a drawing off," from past-participle stem of detrahere "take down, pull down, disparage," from de "down" (see de-) + trahere "to pull" (see tract (n.1)).