extinct

extinct
\ \ [15] Latin stinguere appears originally to have meant ‘prick, stick’ (a sense revealed in the derivative from which English gets distinct), but in historical times the only record of it we have is in the later, and rather remote metaphorical meaning ‘quench’. With the addition of the prefix ex- ‘out’ it became extinguereput out’, whence English extinguish [16]. Extinct comes from its past participle, extinctus, and originally meant ‘put out, no longer alight’: ‘That fire was extinct’, Ranulph Higden, Polychronicon 1432– 50. Its modern use, ‘having died out’, dates – in relation to species, families, etc – from the late 17th century.
\ \ Cf.DISTINCT, EXTINGUISH

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Extinct — Ex*tinct , a. [L. extinctus, exstinctus, p. p. of extinguere, exstinguere. See {Extinguish}.] 1. Extinguished; put out; quenched; as, a fire, a light, or a lamp, is extinct; an extinct volcano. [1913 Webster] Light, the prime work of God, to me… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • extinct — [ek stiŋkt′, ikstiŋkt′] adj. [ME < L extinctus, exstinctus, pp. of exstinguere: see EXTINGUISH] 1. a) having died down or burned out; extinguished [an extinct fire] b) no longer active [an extinct volcano] 2. no longer in existence or use;… …   English World dictionary

  • Extinct — Ex*tinct , v. t. To cause to be extinct. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • extinct — index dead, defunct, lifeless (dead), null (invalid), null and void, obsolete, outdated …   Law dictionary

  • extinct — (adj.) early 15c., from L. extinctus/exstinctus, pp. of extinguere/exstinguere (see EXTINGUISH (Cf. extinguish)). Originally of fires; the sense of the condition of dying out of a family or a hereditary title, 1580s; of species by 1768. Cf.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • extinct — [adj] dead, obsolete abolished, archaic, asleep, bygone, cold*, dead and gone*, deceased, defunct, departed, disappeared, done for*, doused, ended, exanimate, exterminated, extinguished, fallen, gone, inactive, late, lifeless, lost, no longer… …   New thesaurus

  • extinct — ► ADJECTIVE 1) (of a species or other large group) having no living members. 2) no longer in existence. 3) (of a volcano) not having erupted in recorded history. ORIGIN originally in the sense «no longer alight»: from Latin exstinguere extinguish …   English terms dictionary

  • extinct — 01. Some people fear that grizzly bears are in danger of going [extinct]. 02. Dinosaurs have been [extinct] for millions of years. 03. Although dinosaurs have been [extinct] for millions of years, they are still very popular among children. 04.… …   Grammatical examples in English

  • extinct — [[t]ɪkstɪ̱ŋkt[/t]] 1) ADJ A species of animal or plant that is extinct no longer has any living members, either in the world or in a particular place. It is 250 years since the wolf became extinct in Britain. ...the bones of extinct animals. 2)… …   English dictionary

  • extinct — ex|tinct [ıkˈstıŋkt] adj [Date: 1400 1500; : Latin; Origin: exstinctus, past participle of exstinguere; EXTINGUISH] 1.) an extinct type of animal or plant does not exist any more ▪ Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. ▪ Pandas could …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • extinct — ex|tinct [ ık stıŋkt ] adjective * 1. ) an extinct animal, plant, or language no longer exists: The Tasmanian tiger was declared extinct in 1936. a ) an extinct custom, job, type of person, etc. does not exist any longer because society has… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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