v.
Pronunciation: ' ek-str ə - ˌ k ā t
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form: -cat · ed ; -cat · ing
Etymology: Latin extricatus, past participle of extricare, from ex- + tricae trifles, perplexities
Date: 1601
1 a archaic : UNRAVEL b : to distinguish from a related thing
2 : to free or remove from an entanglement or difficulty
– ex · tri · ca · ble \ ik- ' stri-k ə -b ə l, ek- ' , ' ek-( ˌ ) \ adjective
– ex · tri · ca · tion \ ˌ ek-str ə - ' k ā -sh ə n \ noun
synonyms EXTRICATE , DISENTANGLE , UNTANGLE , DISENCUMBER , DISEMBARRASS mean to free from what binds or holds back. EXTRICATE implies the use of care or ingenuity in freeing from a difficult position or situation < extricated himself from financial difficulties>. DISENTANGLE and UNTANGLE suggest painstaking separation of a thing from other things < disentangling fact from fiction> < untangle a web of deceit>. DISENCUMBER implies a release from something that clogs or weighs down <an article disencumbered of jargon>. DISEMBARRASS suggests a release from something that impedes or hinders < disembarrassed herself of her advisers>.