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extinction
extinction definition
ex·tinc·tion (ek stiŋk′s̸hən, ik-)
noun
- a putting out or being put out, as of a fire
- a destroying or being destroyed; annihilation; abolition
- the fact or state of being or becoming extinct; dying out, as a species of animal
- 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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