extinct

B1 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/ UK /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/ See IPA manual

Freq #10273

Meanings

1

adj
No longer existing, with no living members left.

Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years.
2

adj
Of a volcano: no longer active and unlikely ever to erupt again.

Most of the volcanoes on this island are now extinct.
3

adj
No longer existing or used, as of customs, ideas, or languages.

Such old-fashioned ideas are now extinct in modern science.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · no longer existing, with no... nonexistent

3 adj · no longer existing or used,... obsolete defunct

Word family

Derived forms coextinctextinctedextincticextinctingextinctnessextinctorextinctualextinctureinextinctnonextinctpseudoextinctsemiextinct

Related forms distinct extinctionextinctiveextinctivelyextinguish nonextinction semiextinction

Etymology

From Late Middle English extinct (“eliminated, eradicated, extinguished”), from Latin extīnctus, exstīnctus (“extinguished, quenched; destroyed, killed; made extinct”), the perfect passive participles of extinguō, exstinguō (“to extinguish, put out, quench; (figurative) to abolish; to destroy, kill”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + stinguō (“to extinguish, put out, quench”) (from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ- (“to push”)). The Middle English word displaced Middle English aqueint, aquenched (“extinct; extinguished”). Doublet of extinguish.

*stengʷ- Proto-Indo-European extinct Middle English extīnctus Latin

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External links

# extinct

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/
**Frequency rank:** 10273

## Meanings
1. No longer existing, with no living members left.
2. Of a volcano: no longer active and unlikely ever to erupt again.
3. No longer existing or used, as of customs, ideas, or languages.

## Examples
- Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years.
- Most of the volcanoes on this island are now extinct.
- Such old-fashioned ideas are now extinct in modern science.

## Derived Forms
- coextinct
- extincted
- extinctic
- extincting
- extinctness
- extinctor
- extinctual
- extincture
- inextinct
- nonextinct
- pseudoextinct
- semiextinct

## Related Forms
- distinct
- extinction
- extinctive
- extinctively
- extinguish
- nonextinction
- semiextinction

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *stengʷ-
- Root: extinct
- Root: extīnctus

## Etymology
From Late Middle English extinct (“eliminated, eradicated, extinguished”), from Latin extīnctus, exstīnctus (“extinguished, quenched; destroyed, killed; made extinct”), the perfect passive participles of extinguō, exstinguō (“to extinguish, put out, quench; (figurative) to abolish; to destroy, kill”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + stinguō (“to extinguish, put out, quench”) (from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ- (“to push”)). The Middle English word displaced Middle English aqueint, aquenched (“extinct; extinguished”). Doublet of extinguish.

## AI Etymology
Extinct comes from Late Middle English extinct (“eliminated, eradicated, extinguished”), from Latin extīnctus, exstīnctus (“extinguished, quenched; destroyed, killed; made extinct”), the perfect passive participles of extinguō, exstinguō (“to extinguish, put out, quench; (figurative) to abolish; to destroy, kill”), from ex- (prefix meaning ‘away; out’) + stinguō (“to extinguish, put out, quench”) (from Proto-Indo-European *stengʷ- (“to push”)). The Middle English word displaced Middle English aqueint, aquenched (“extinct; extinguished”). Doublet of extinguish. In current use, the main senses are “No longer existing, with no living members left” and “Of a volcano: no longer active and unlikely ever to erupt again”.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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