Advertisement

extinction (n.)

early 15c., "annihilation," from Latin extinctionem/exstinctionem (nominative extinctio/exstinctio) "extinction, annihilation," noun of action from past participle stem of extinguere/exstinguere "quench, wipe out" (see extinguish). Originally of fires, lights; figurative use, the wiping out of a material thing (a debt, a person, a family, etc.) from early 17c.; of species by 1784.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of extinction from WordNet

extinction (n.)
no longer active; extinguished;
the extinction of the volcano
extinction (n.)
no longer in existence;
the extinction of a species
Synonyms: defunctness
extinction (n.)
the reduction of the intensity of radiation as a consequence of absorption and radiation;
extinction (n.)
complete annihilation;
they think a meteor cause the extinction of the dinosaurs
Synonyms: extermination
extinction (n.)
a conditioning process in which the reinforcer is removed and a conditioned response becomes independent of the conditioned stimulus;
Synonyms: experimental extinction
extinction (n.)
the act of extinguishing; causing to stop burning;
the extinction of the lights
Synonyms: extinguishing / quenching
From wordnet.princeton.edu