Word of the Day

: October 25, 2023

extraneous

adjective ek-STRAY-nee-us

What It Means

Something described as extraneous does not form a necessary part of something else, and may also therefore be considered irrelevant or unimportant (as in “extraneous details”).

// The woman who reported the robbery kept bringing up extraneous facts, such as what she'd had for lunch.

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extraneous in Context

“Free of frippery and extraneous decorative details, the roughly 4,500-square-foot loft is a pure expression of the bold geometries, expert craftsmanship, and premium materials for which Gwathmey is renowned.” — Mark David, Robb Report, 22 Aug. 2023

Did You Know?

We’d hate to be extra, so we won’t weigh you down with a lot of extraneous information about the word extraneous. Instead, we’ll tell you that it has been a part of the English language since at least the mid-1600s, and that it comes from the Latin word extrāneus, which means “not belonging to one’s family or household; external.” Extrāneus—a combination of the Latin adverb/preposition extrā  (“outside” or “beyond”) and adjective suffix -āneus—is also the root of the English words strange and estrange; its influence is even more obvious in the Spanish adjective extraño, meaning “strange.” The “outside/beyond” senses of extrā are also evident in non-extraneous English words like extraterrestrial, which refers to a creature originating from “outside” planet Earth, and extrajudicial, which describes something “beyond” what is allowed by a court.