Link Centre Dictionary

extinction

ex·tinc·tion

UK/ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/ US/ɪˈkstɪŋʃʌn/ fairly common

noun

1.

no longer in existence

  • “the extinction of a species”
Synonyms
2.

no longer active; extinguished

  • “the extinction of the volcano”
3.

the reduction of the intensity of radiation as a consequence of absorption and radiation

4.

complete annihilation

  • “they think a meteor cause the extinction of the dinosaurs”
5.

a conditioning process in which the reinforcer is removed and a conditioned response becomes independent of the conditioned stimulus

6.

the act of extinguishing; causing to stop burning

  • “the extinction of the lights”

Origin

From late Middle English, borrowed from Latin extinctio (“extinction, annihilation”), from extinguere, past participle extinctus (“to extinguish”); see extinguish.

Phrases

  • Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.