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Do you exact or extract revenge?
The verb exact (as in, "exacting revenge" or "exacting a promise") is not as commonly encountered as the adjective exact, (as in "an exact copy" or "exact measurements"). Sometimes people will mistakenly use the more common verb extract when they really want exact. Extract can refer to removing something by pulling or cutting or to getting information from someone who does not want to give it. While both words refer to getting something they are used in different ways. You extract a tooth, but you exact revenge.
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The Crisscrossing Histories of Abstract and Extract
Abstract is most frequently used as an adjective (“abstract ideas”) and a noun (“an abstract of the article”), but its somewhat less common use as a verb in English helps to clarify its Latin roots. The verb abstract is used to mean “summarize,” as in “abstracting an academic paper.” This meaning is a figurative derivative of the verb’s meanings “to remove” or “to separate.”
We trace the origins of abstract to the combination of the Latin roots ab-, a prefix meaning “from” or “away,” with the verb trahere, meaning “to pull” or “to draw.” The result was the Latin verb abstrahere, which meant “to remove forcibly” or “to drag away.” Its past participle abstractus had the meanings “removed,” “secluded,” “incorporeal,” and, ultimately, “summarized,” meanings which came to English from Medieval Latin.
Interestingly, the word passed from Latin into French with competing spellings as both abstract (closer to the Latin) and abstrait (which reflected the French form of abstrahere, abstraire), the spelling retained in modern French.
The idea of “removing” or “pulling away” connects abstract to extract, which stems from Latin through the combination of trahere with the prefix ex-, meaning “out of” or “away from.” Extract forms a kind of mirror image of abstract: more common as a verb, but also used as a noun and adjective. The adjective, meaning “derived or descended,” is now obsolete, as is a sense of the noun that overlapped with abstract, “summary.” The words intersected and have separated in modern English, but it’s easy to see that abstract applies to something that has been summarized, and summarized means “extracted from a larger work.”
Synonyms
Examples of extract in a Sentence
Justin Rende, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
Empathy is our capacity to extract ourselves from our own beliefs and feelings–and understand why another individual may have theirs.
—Morgan Mercer, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2023
House Republicans want to extract some sizable government cuts in these bills.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 27 Nov. 2023
China could also finance the project and extract payment either in tolls or from Russian oil and gas exports.
—Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023
The film recounts Alex’s efforts to extract the truth from Marcus, who fears that any disclosures would be unbearable for them both.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023
Scrap businesses generally make money by taking cars apart to extract the most valuable widgets to resell.
—WIRED, 17 Nov. 2023
The company has joined forces with Wall Street private-equity firms that employ physicians to extract wealth from the community and those physicians can be ‘removed from the schedule’ on a whim without justification.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2023
The song was completed at last by surviving members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, among others, after new technology helped extract Lennon’s vocals from the original demo, while George Harrison guitar parts from the initial attempt to finish the track were also incorporated into the song.
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 13 Nov. 2023
Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
If your skin is looking a little dull, these two products will brighten up your complexion à la tranexamic acid, niacinamide, and lotus seed extract (SkinMedica) or L-ascorbic acid and hyaluronic acid (Obagi Medical).
—Sarah Han, Allure, 28 Nov. 2023
Using all-natural ingredients, such as red ginseng, tangerine peel and herb extracts, the brand combines centuries-old medicinal practices with cutting-edge research, resulting in award-winning formulas.
—Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Nov. 2023
Vanilla extract: Elevates all the flavors of the cake.
—Pam Lolley, Southern Living, 26 Nov. 2023
Hyaluronic acid and aloe water provide hydration, caffeine firms and brightens, and probiotic extracts smooth and de-puff the area’s delicate skin, leaving behind an awakened look every time.
—Kayla Blanton, Peoplemag, 24 Nov. 2023
They are complemented by other Super 8 extracts that are reconstructed especially for the film.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 24 Nov. 2023
Then, the 24-karat gold leaf mask is applied and left to soak in; once removed, a face oil containing gold flakes and rose extract is dabbed on, leaving you looking like royalty.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2023
Enriched with aloe leaf extract and avocado oil, its gentle, non-comedogenic formula is perfect for maintaining hydrated, comfortable skin.
—Kathy Barr, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'extract.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Verb
Middle English, from Latin extractus, past participle of extrahere, from ex- + trahere to draw
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing extract
Dictionary Entries Near extract
Cite this Entry
“Extract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extract. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
extract
1 of 2 verb
extract
2 of 2 noun
Medical Definition
extract
1 of 2 transitive verb
extract
2 of 2 noun
Legal Definition
extract
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on extract
Nglish: Translation of extract for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of extract for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about extract
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