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the cutting down of trees in a large area, or the destruction of forests by people: Deforestation is destroying large areas of tropical rain forest
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the air, water, and land in or on which people, animals, and plants live
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Biology. the act or process of becoming extinct; a coming to an end or dying out: the extinction of a species. Psychology. the reduction or loss of a conditioned response as a result of the absence or withdrawal of reinforcement. Astronomy. the diminution in the intensity of starlight caused by absorption as it passes through the earth's atmosphere or through interstellar dust. Crystallography, Optics. the darkness that results from rotation of a thin section to an angle (extinction angle) at which plane-polarized light is absorbed by the polarizer. Origin of extinction 1375–1425; late Middle English extinccio(u)n < Latin ex(s)tinctiōn- (stem of ex(s)tinctiō). See extinct, -ion Related forms non·ex·tinc·tion, noun pre·ex·tinc·tion, noun self-ex·tinc·tion, noun Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018 Examples from the Web for extinction Contemporary Examples Pat Robertson wants to talk about the extinction of the gays. No Gods, No Cops, No Masters James Poulos January 1, 2015 How might we resurrect a tradition threatened with extinction? Can Baseball’s All-Star Game Be Saved? Peter C. Bjarkman July 15, 2014 And thanks to oil palm plantations springing up in Africa, chimpanzees are in danger of extinction. Our Taste for Cheap Palm Oil Is Killing Chimpanzees Carrie Arnold July 11, 2014 Over this image we hear: “Freedom is never more than one generation from extinction.” Rick Santorum’s Hobby Lobby Horror Movie Dean Obeidallah July 2, 2014 Even the Native Americans, who were massacred almost to the point of extinction, escaped the curse of race slavery. Rand Paul’s Comments on GOP Voter-ID Laws Mark a Turning Point James Poulos May 13, 2014 Historical Examples Thus manifestly a negligible factor, it is also one tending to extinction. 'Tis Sixty Years Since Charles Francis Adams If this holy fire be too much confined, it will be in danger of extinction. Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II Francis Augustus Cox Warfare was on the road to extinction, threatened by its very excesses. The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete Emile Zola Every race which does not understand this necessity ends in extinction. The Sexual Question August Forel The Anglo-Saxon civilizes the other races or devotes them to extinction. The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 2, May, 1851 Various British Dictionary definitions for extinction extinction noun the act of making extinct or the state of being extinct the act of extinguishing or the state of being extinguished complete destruction; annihilation physics reduction of the intensity of radiation as a result of absorption or scattering by matter astronomy the dimming of light from a celestial body as it passes through an absorbing or scattering medium, such as the earth's atmosphere or interstellar dust psychol a process in which the frequency or intensity of a learned response is decreased as a result of reinforcement being withdrawnCompare habituation Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for extinction n. early 15c., from Latin extinctionem/exstinctionem (nominative extinctio/exstinctio), noun of action from past participle stem of extinguere/exstinguere (see extinguish). Originally of fires, lights; figurative use, of wiping out a material thing (a debt, a person, a family, etc.) from early 17c.; of species by 1784. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper extinction in Medicine extinction(ĭk-stĭngk′shən) n. Progressive reduction in the strength of the conditioned response in successive conditioning trials during which only the conditioned stimulus is presented and the unconditioned stimulus is omitted.absorbance The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. extinction in Science extinction [ĭk-stĭngk′shən] The fact of being extinct or the process of becoming extinct. See more at background extinction mass extinction. A progressive decrease in the strength of a conditioned response, often resulting in its elimination, because of withdrawal of a specific stimulus. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. extinction in Culture extinction The disappearance of a species from the Earth. Note The fossil record tells us that 99.9 percent of all species that ever lived are now extinct. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Others Are Reading The Oldest Words in EnglishThe Oldest Words in English Avoid these words. SeriouslyAvoid these words. Seriously Word of the Day forbearance
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pollution noun [ U ] UK /pəˈluː.ʃən/ US /pəˈluː.ʃən/ B1 damage caused to water, air, etc. by harmful substances or waste: air/water pollution The manifesto includes tough measures to tackle road congestion and environmental pollution.
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mining noun [ U ] UK /ˈmaɪ.nɪŋ/ US /ˈmaɪ.nɪŋ/ mining noun [ U ] (DIGGING) C1 the industry or activity of removing substances such as coal or metal from the ground by digging: coal/salt mining
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water noun UK /ˈwɔː.tər/ US /ˈwɑː.t̬ɚ/ A1 [ U ] a clear liquid, without colour or taste, that falls from the sky as rain and is necessary for animal and plant life:
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