I. ikˈstrakt, ekˈs-, in sense 3a usually & in other senses sometimes ˈekˌs- transitive verb
( extracted ; extracted or obs extract ; extracting ; extracts )
Etymology: Middle English extracten, from Latin extractus, past participle of extrahere, from ex- ex- (I) + trahere to draw, pull — more at draw
1.
a. : to draw forth
extracting a letter from his pocket
especially : to pull out (as something embedded or otherwise firmly fixed) forcibly or with great effort
extracting a tooth
extracting the bullet from the wound
extracting the stump of a tree
b. : to obtain (as money or knowledge of a secret) by much maneuvering and effort from or as if from someone unwilling
before you try to extract money from anyone — Edith Sitwell
extracting a promise
extracting information
extracting the truth
c. : to derive (as pleasure) or deduce (as the meaning of a word) from a specified source as if by drawing forth
extracting happiness from what many would consider a humdrum existence
extracting a strange meaning from what she had said
d. : to separate or otherwise obtain (as constituent elements or juices) from a substance by treating with a solvent (as alcohol), distilling, evaporating, subjecting to pressure or centrifugal force, or by some other chemical or mechanical process
extracting an essence
extracting the juice of apples
extracted honey
— compare leach 1b
e. : to treat with a solvent so as to remove soluble substances
adrenal cortex is extracted with acetone
— compare leach 1a
f. : to separate (an ore or mineral) from a deposit ; also : to separate (a metal) from an ore
g. : to separate (flour) from broken grain kernels in the process of grinding grain
h. : to separate (a particular genetic character) in the form of a homozygote from a heterozygous strain
extracted albinos
extracted dominants and recessives
2. : to determine (the root of a number or quantity) by mathematical calculation
extracting the square root of 64
3.
a. : to make out an extract (sense 1b) of
b. : to select (excerpts) and copy out or cite
I have extracted out of that pamphlet a few notorious falsehoods — Jonathan Swift
4. : to subject to any action or process of extracting
Synonyms: see educe
II. ˈekˌstrakt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin extractus, extracta, & extractum, from Latin, masculine, feminine, & neuter respectively of the past participle of extrahere
1.
a. obsolete : summary , outline
b. : a certified copy of a document that forms part of or is preserved in a public record
c. : a selection from a writing or discourse : excerpt , quotation
2. : something extracted: as
a. : a preparation obtained by evaporation (as of a solution of a drug or the juice of a plant)
b. : the portion of a mixture that is dissolved by a solvent and later separated from part or from all of the solvent (as by distillation)
c. : a solution in alcohol of flavor and odor constituents (as from an aromatic plant)
the use of vanilla extract and lemon extract in cooking
d. : a preparation containing the essence of the substance from which it is derived : essence , concentrate
beef extract
e. : the total soluble constituents of beer with the exception of alcohol and carbon dioxide
3. obsolete : extraction 2
III. adjective
or extracted
Etymology: from past participle of extract (I)
obsolete : derived or descended