Word
extant
Phoneticsex·tant
US/ˈɛkstənt/
UK/ɛkstˈɑːnt/
Definition
adj. describes something, like a very old book or building, that still exists today.
adj. still in existence; not destroyed, lost, or extinct. Often used in academic contexts regarding historical documents or biological species.
Examples
“There are only three extant copies of this ancient book.”
“While many of the composer's early works were lost in the fire, his later symphonies remain extant and are still performed today.”
“The researcher spent years cataloging the extant manuscripts of the medieval text to determine which version was closest to the original author's intent.”
Examples
simple
“There are only three extant copies of this ancient book.”
contextual
“While many of the composer's early works were lost in the fire, his later symphonies remain extant and are still performed today.”
complex
“The researcher spent years cataloging the extant manuscripts of the medieval text to determine which version was closest to the original author's intent.”
Usage
Usually functions as an attributive adjective placed before the noun it modifies.
Pitfall
The extant of the damage was clear.
The extent of the damage was clear.
Do not confuse 'extant' (still existing) with 'extent' (the size or scale of something).
Real-World Examples
“These fragments are too big to be from the prey of the Pilbara's smaller extant carnivores, like quolls and mulgaras.” “Our dataset includes data for 806 of the 5,740 extant mammal species, 80 of which are marsupials and 726 placental mammals.” Etymology
First attested in 1545, from Latin extantem, extāns, present participle of extō (“to stand out, exist, be extant”), from ex- (“out”) + stō (“stand”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/extant