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extinction definition

ex·tinc·tion (ek stiŋk′s̸hən, ik-)

noun

  1. a putting out or being put out, as of a fire
  2. a destroying or being destroyed; annihilation; abolition
  3. the fact or state of being or becoming extinct; dying out, as a species of animal
  4. Physiol., Psychol. the weakening and disappearance of a conditioned response that is no longer being reinforced

Etymology: ME extinccioun < L exstinctio < exstinctus: see extinct

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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