extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

1

: the act or process of extracting something

2

: ancestry, origin

a family of French extraction

3

: something extracted

Synonyms

• ancestry
• birth
• blood
• bloodline
• breeding
• descent
• family tree
• genealogy
• line
• lineage
• origin
• parentage
• pedigree
• stock
• strain

Examples of extraction in a Sentence

tooth extractions and other dental procedures

the extraction of teeth by dentists

the extraction of juices from plant matter

Recent Examples on the Web

From a chemical perspective, the extraction, synthesis, or compounding of those medications is not terribly technically difficult. —Jorge Just, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024

These projects will work to retrofit and build commercial-scale American facilities whose respective production spans across different stages of the battery manufacturing process including recycling and extraction. —Rhett Buttle, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

For safety purposes, the county restricted commercial and residential development above the roughly 9,000-acre injection zone, which is currently agricultural fields and fossil fuel extraction. —Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024

During the early years of the 20th century, when the island was rich in phosphate crucial to industrial agriculture, it was ruined by the extraction work of foreign companies. —Randy Boyagoda, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English extraccioun "removal (of blood, foreign matter from the body), determination (of the root of a number)," borrowed from Late Latin extractiōn-, extractiō "withdrawal, removal," from Latin extrac-, variant stem of extrahere "to pull out, draw forth" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at extract entry 1

Note: Sense 2, attested since William Caxton, is based on Middle French extracion, estration, etc., in this meaning.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing extraction

• dilation and extraction

Kids Definition

extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

1

: the act or process of extracting

2

: the origin of a person

of Italian extraction

Medical Definition

extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

: the act or process of extracting something

extraction of a tooth