extinct
extinct Lexical Profile
extinct Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having no living members; no longer in existence (of a species, family, or other biological group).
"The Tasmanian tiger was declared extinct in the twentieth century following years of habitat loss and hunting."
No longer erupting or geologically active (of a volcano).
"Edinburgh Castle sits atop the jagged plug of an extinct volcano."
No longer practiced, valid, or in use (of a language, custom, institution, or hereditary title).
"Linguists are working to document the grammar of several nearly extinct indigenous languages."
• Rhymes for extinct
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 15th century from Latin extinctus, the past participle of extinguere ('to quench, put out, or destroy'), formed from ex- ('out') and stinguere ('to quench'). Originally used literally of fires or lights that had been put out, it acquired its biological sense of a species dying out in the late 18th century.