extinguish

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word extinguish. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word extinguish, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say extinguish in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word extinguish you have here. The definition of the word extinguish will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofextinguish, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin extinguo (“to put out (what is burning), quench, extinguish, deprive of life, destroy, abolish”), from ex (“out”) + stinguere (“to put out, quench, extinguish”). Doublet of extinct.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɪkˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Verb

extinguish (third-person singular simple present extinguishes, present participle extinguishing, simple past and past participle extinguished)

  1. (transitive)
    1. To stop (fire, etc.) from burning; also, to stop (light, etc.) from shining; to put out, to quench.
      Synonyms: douse, (obsolete) extinct
    2. (figurative) To eclipse or obscure (someone or something).
      A beauty that extinguishes all others by comparison
      The rays of the sun were extinguished by the thunder clouds.
    3. (figurative) To kill (someone).
      Synonym: (obsolete) extinct
    4. (figurative) To put an end to (something) completely; to annihilate, to destroy.
      Synonyms: (obsolete) extinct; see also Thesaurus:destroy
      She extinguished all my hopes.
      They intended to extinguish the enemy by force of numbers
      1. (psychology) To bring about the extinction of (a conditioned reflex).
        Many patients can extinguish their phobias after a few months of treatment.
    5. (figurative) To suppress (something, as feelings, a person's spirit, a state of affairs, etc.); to quench.
      Synonym: (obsolete) extinct
    6. (figurative, chiefly law) To abolish or make void (a law, a legal right, etc.); also, to cancel (a creditor's claim, a licence, etc.).
      Synonym: (obsolete) extinct
      • 1668 December 19, James Dalrymple, “Mr. Alexander Seaton contra Menzies” in The Deciſions of the Lords of Council & Seſſion I (Edinburgh, 1683), page 575:
        The Pupil after his Pupillarity, had granted a Diſcharge to one of the Co-tutors, which did extinguiſh the whole Debt of that Co-tutor, and conſequently of all the reſt, they being all correi debendi, lyable by one individual Obligation, which cannot be Diſcharged as to one, and ſtand as to all the reſt.
  2. (intransitive, reflexive) To die out.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

to kill (someone) — see kill
to suppress (something, as feelings, a person’s spirit, a state of affairs, etc.) — see suppress
to abolish or make void (a law, a legal right, etc.); to cancel (a creditor’s claim, a licence, etc.) — see abolish,‎ cancel,‎ void
to die out — see die out
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Further reading

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia