extraction
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the process of taking something out of a surface or a substance, like oil from the ground.
the act of removing or obtaining something from a source by force, suction, or chemical process.
Simple“The extraction of oil from the deep ocean floor is a difficult and expensive task.”
In context“The mining company faced significant environmental regulations regarding the extraction of rare earth minerals from the protected valley.”
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
a person's family background or where their ancestors came from.
the ethnic or national origin of a person; lineage or ancestry.
Simple“She is of Italian extraction, though she has lived in London her whole life.”
In context“The historian noted that many families of French extraction settled in this region during the eighteenth century.”
UsageUsually follows the preposition 'of'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of moving someone from a dangerous or enemy area to a safe place.
the tactical removal of personnel from a hostile or hazardous environment to a secure location.
Simple“The helicopter arrived just in time for the extraction of the trapped soldiers.”
In context“The special forces team coordinated a night-time extraction to retrieve the diplomats before the border was closed.”
Teacher's tipIn a military context, this is the opposite of 'insertion'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of a dentist pulling a tooth out of your mouth.
the surgical removal of a tooth from its socket in the jawbone.
Simple“The dentist said that an extraction was necessary because the tooth was too damaged to fix.”
In context“Following the extraction of his wisdom teeth, the patient was advised to avoid solid foods for several days.”
“After collecting leaf samples, Karimi brought them back to Wisconsin to be ground up for extraction.”
“When commercial extraction began in the 1840s, workers were not simply shoveling loose bird droppings.”
From Old French estraction, from Medieval Latin extractio.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.