extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

1

: the act or process of extracting something

2

: ancestry, origin

a family of French extraction

3

: something extracted

Synonyms

• ancestry
• lineage
• origin
• descent
• breeding
• genealogy
• family
• pedigree

Examples of extraction in a Sentence

tooth extractions and other dental procedures

the extraction of teeth by dentists

the extraction of juices from plant matter

Recent Examples on the Web

This capability reduces the need for new raw material extraction and cuts the environmental impact associated with mining and battery waste. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2025

Electric telegraph lines and railroads encouraged and were encouraged by a new age of imperial expansion, commodity extraction, industrialization, urban growth, global migration, rising population, and scientific development, among other things. —Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025

The deep floor of the LUNA testbed allows for sampling and drilling up to nine feet (three meters) below the surface, enabling scientists and engineers to test technologies for resource extraction, mobility and construction. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2025

As her body began to shiver and her mind grew hazy, extraction efforts only became more difficult. —Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English extraccioun "removal (of blood, foreign matter from the body), determination (of the root of a number)," borrowed from Late Latin extractiōn-, extractiō "withdrawal, removal," from Latin extrac-, variant stem of extrahere "to pull out, draw forth" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at extract entry 1

Note: Sense 2, attested since William Caxton, is based on Middle French extracion, estration, etc., in this meaning.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing extraction

• dilation and extraction

Rhymes for extraction

• abstraction
• attraction
• compaction
• contraction
• detraction
• diffraction
• distraction
• exaction
• impaction
• inaction
• infraction
• olfaction

Kids Definition

extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

1

: the act or process of extracting

2

: the origin of a person

of Italian extraction

Medical Definition

extraction

noun

ex·​trac·​tion ik-ˈstrak-shən 

: the act or process of extracting something

extraction of a tooth