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extinction

Pronunciation: /ɪkˈstɪŋ(k)ʃ(ə)n, ɛk-/

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Definition of extinction

noun

[mass noun]

1the state or process of being or becoming extinct:the extinction of the great auk [count noun]:mass extinctions
the wiping out of a debt: a private debt extinction fund

2 Physics reduction to zero in the intensity of light or other radiation as it passes through a medium, due to absorption, reflection, or scattering: ultraviolet extinction