# extract

Pronunciation: say "ik-STRAKT" /ɪkˈstɹækt/

## Verb

1. To draw or pull something out, removing it forcibly from a fixed position by traction, suction, or similar means.
   - Simple: To pull or draw something out of where it is held or stuck.
   - _Surgeons extract the bullet before closing the wound._
   - _The machine extracts nails from old planks one by one._
2. To withdraw a substance by squeezing, distillation, or another mechanical or chemical process.
   - Simple: To take a liquid or substance out by pressing, heating, or using chemicals.
   - _Distillers extract essential oils from lavender flowers using steam._
   - _The plant extracts caffeine from coffee beans with a solvent._
5. To select and quote a passage from a text; to cite.
   - Simple: To pick out and quote a part of a text.
   - _She extracted several telling sentences from the report for her summary._
   - _Critics extract passages that best illustrate the writer's style._
7. To select and take out particular parts from a whole.
   - Simple: To take out certain parts from a larger thing.
   - _The program extracts relevant figures from each spreadsheet._
   - _They extract the key themes from hours of interviews._
10. To determine a root of a number, such as its square or cube root.
   - Simple: To work out the root of a number, such as its square root.
   - _Early algebra texts taught readers how to extract square roots manually._
   - _The method extracts the cube root through repeated approximation._

## Noun

Pronunciation: say "EK-strakt" /ˈɛkstɹækt/

3. A substance drawn out from something, retaining the essential qualities of its source.
   - Simple: A substance taken out of something, which keeps the qualities of what it came from.
   - _The recipe calls for a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract._
   - _Herbalists sell plant extracts that concentrate the active compounds._
4. A portion of a book or document reproduced distinctly within another work; a quotation or citation.
   - Simple: A short piece taken from a book or paper and used in another work.
   - _The review quoted a lengthy extract from the author's memoir._
   - _Students compared two extracts from rival newspapers._
6. Something that has been extracted or drawn out from a larger whole.
   - Simple: A thing that has been pulled or taken out of something else.
   - _Researchers stored each extract in a separate vial._
   - _The final extracts were combined into one sample._
8. A solution or infusion prepared by drawing from a substance the part that carries its essential, characteristic properties.
   - Simple: A liquid made by drawing out the active part of a plant or other substance.
   - _The pharmacist prepared a bitter extract from the willow bark._
   - _Traditional remedies often rely on extracts steeped from dried roots._
9. A solid preparation produced by evaporating a solution of a drug or the fresh juice of a plant.
   - Simple: A solid medicine made by drying out the liquid from a plant or drug.
   - _The apothecary stored each extract as a dried, gummy mass._
   - _Several plant extracts were ground into powder for the pills._
11. The line of ancestry or descent from which a person comes.
   - Simple: The family or background a person comes from.
   - _The nobleman boasted of his ancient extract._
   - _She took pride in her Highland extract._
12. A certified copy of a written record, especially of court proceedings and the judgment, carrying authority to enforce it.
   - Simple: An official copy of a legal record or court decision.
   - _The lawyer requested an extract of the final decree._
   - _Officials would not act without a sealed extract from the court._

## Noun

Pronunciation: say "EK-strakt" /ˈɛkstɹækt/

13. A single fundamental principle once mistakenly thought to form the common basis of all plant-derived substances. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A single basic substance once wrongly believed to lie at the core of every plant.

## Origin

Borrowed from Latin extractum, the past participle of extrahō, which is formed from ex- ("out of") and trahō ("to drag").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/extract (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).