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extinction

Syllabification: (ex·tinc·tion)
Pronunciation: /ikˈstiNG(k)SHən/
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Definition of extinction

noun

  • 1the state or process of a species, family, or larger group being or becoming extinct:the extinction of the great auk mass extinctions
  • the wiping out of a debt.
  • 2 Physics reduction in the intensity of light or other radiation as it passes through a medium or object, due to absorption, reflection, and scattering:ultraviolet extinction

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin exstinctio(n-), from exstinguere 'quench' (see extinguish)

extinction in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of extinction in the British & World English dictionary