ex|tract

ex|tract «verb. ehk STRAKT; noun. EHKS trakt», verb, noun.

–v.t.

1. a) to draw out, usually with some effort; »

to extract a tooth, Figurative. to extract a confession, to extract iron from the earth.

b) Figurative. to force (money, a promise, or other commitment) from; extort.

2. to obtain by pressing, squeezing, or distillation: »

to extract oil from olives.

3. to deduce, especially from some data; infer: »

to extract a principle from a collection of facts.

4. to derive; obtain; secure: »

Figurative. to extract pleasure from a party.

5. to take out (a passage) from a book, speech, play, or other literary work; make extracts from; excerpt: »

He extracted several sections from the article to read at the meeting.

6. to calculate or find (the root of a number or expression).

–n.

1. something drawn out or taken out; a passage taken from a book, speech, play, or other literary work; quotation; excerpt: »

He read several extracts from the poem.

SYNONYM(S): citation, selection.

2. a) a concentrated preparation of a substance: »

Vanilla extract, made from vanilla beans, is used as flavoring.

b) Pharmacy. a dry substance made from a plant, drug, or substance, by dissolving the active ingredients and then evaporating the solvent: »

extract of malt.

╂[< Latin extractus, past participle of extrahere draw out < ex- out + trahere draw]

Synonym Study transitive verb. 1a, b Extract, extort mean to draw out with force. Extract implies pulling out something hard to get loose: »

The dentist extracted her wisdom tooth.

Extort suggests wringing something from a person who does not want to give it up: »

Not even torture could extort from him the names of his companions.