"E" Word Origins

expose

Latin

From Old French exposer, "to lay open, set forth", ultimately from Latin expōnō, "to set forth" or "put out".

exposition

Latin

From Old French esposicion, from Latin expositiō, based on expōnere, "to put forth" or explain.

exposure

Origin

Formed from expose plus the noun ending -ure.

expound

Origin

From Middle English expounden, from Old French espondre, from Latin exponere. Doublet of expone and expose.

expounder

Origin

From Middle English expounder, expounere, expowner, expownere; equivalent to expound + -er.

express

Latin

From French exprès, from Latin expressus, "clearly stated" — the past participle of exprimere, "to press out".

expressage

Origin

From express + -age.

expression

Latin

From Latin expressiō, "a pressing out", from the same root as "express".

expressive

Middle French

From Middle French expressif, from the same root as "express".

expressway

Origin

A compound of express and way.

expropriate

Origin

From Medieval Latin expropriātus.

expugnable

Origin

Latin expugnabilis.

expulsion

Latin

From Latin expulsiō, from expellere, "to drive out".

exquisite

Latin

From Latin exquīsītus, "sought out" — the past participle of exquīrere, "to search out carefully".

exsanguinate

Origin

PIE word *h₁ésh₂r̥ Learned borrowing from New Latin exsanguinātus (“depleted of blood, exsanguinated; lacking blood, bloodless”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Exsanguinātus is a participial adjective formed on ex- (“out, from”) + sanguī̆s (sanguin-) (“blood”) + -ātus.

exsanguination

Latin

From Latin ex- ("out of") plus sanguis ("blood"), so literally "draining of blood".

exsuccous

Origin

Latin exsuccus, from ex- + succus ‘juice’.

extant

Origin

First attested in 1545, from Latin extantem, extāns, present participle of extō (“to stand out, exist, be extant”), from ex- (“out”) + stō (“stand”).

extemporaneous

Origin

From Late Latin extemporāneus, from Latin ex tempore (“impromptu”).

extend

Latin

From Latin extendere, "to stretch out" — from ex- ("out") plus tendere ("to stretch").

extense

Origin

Borrowed from Latin extensus.

extensible

Origin

Borrowed from Latin extēnsibilis, from extendō (“to extend”).

extension

Latin

From Latin extensio, from extendere ('to stretch out'), from ex ('out') plus tendere ('to stretch').

extensive

Late Latin

From Late Latin extensīvus, related to Latin extendere, "to stretch out".

extent

Latin

From Anglo-Norman extente, related to Latin extendere, "to stretch out".

extenuate

Origin

From Middle English extenuat (“(medicine) made thin, emaciated”), from Latin extenuātus (“diminished, reduced, thinned”), perfect passive participle of extenuō (“to diminish, reduce, thin”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ex- (“out-, thoroughly”) + tenuō (“to enfeeble, weaken, wear down; to lessen, reduce; to make thin”), from tenuis (“fine, slender, thin; feeble, weak”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tenh₂- (“to extend, stretch; thin”)) + -ō (first conjugation-verb forming suffix). Compare attenuate.

extenuating

Latin

From Latin ex- ("out") plus tenuare, "to make thin" — the idea of "thinning out" blame.

extenuation

Origin

An adaptation of extenuātiōn-, the oblique stem of the Latin extenuātiō (“a thinning or diminishing”, “rarefaction”; rhetoric “a lessening”, “diminution”, “extenuation”), noun of action from extenuō (“to thin, reduce, or diminish”). Equivalent to extenuate + -ion. Compare the French exténuation.

exterior

Latin

From Latin exterior, "outer, further out".

exterminate

Latin

From Latin exterminare, "to drive out" or "destroy", from ex- ("thoroughly") plus terminus ("boundary, end").

extermination

Latin

From Latin exterminatio, related to exterminare.

exterminator

Latin

From Latin exterminator, "one who destroys", formed from exterminate plus -or.

external

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin externus, "outward, external".

extinct

Latin

From Latin extīnctus, "put out, destroyed" — the past participle of extinguere, "to extinguish".

extinction

Latin

From Latin extinctio, "extinguishing, annihilation", from extinguere.

extinguish

Latin

From Latin extinguere, "to put out, quench" — from ex- ("out") plus stinguere ("to quench").

extinguisher

Origin

Formed from extinguish plus the agent ending -er.

extirpate

Origin

The verb is first attested in 1538, the adjective in 1541; borrowed from Latin exstirpātus perfect passive participle of exstirpō (“to uproot”), from ex- (“out of”) + stirps (“the lower part of the trunk of a tree, including the roots; the stem, stalk”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)). Doublet of extirp. Common participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

extirpation

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin exstirpātiō.

extirpative

Origin

From extirpate + -ive.

extort

Latin

From Latin extorquere, "to twist or wrench out" — from ex- ("out") plus torquere ("to twist").

extortion

Latin

From Anglo-Norman extorcion, ultimately from Latin extorquēre, "to twist or wrench out" — the same idea as forcibly wringing something from someone.

extortioner

Origin

From extortion + -er.

extra

Origin

Shortened from "extraordinary."

extract

Latin

From Latin extrahere, "to drag out" — from ex- ("out") + trahere ("to drag"), the same root behind "traction" and "tractor."

extraction

Medieval Latin

From Old French estraction, based on Medieval Latin extractio — the noun form of "drawing out."

extracurricular

Origin

Formed from extra- ("outside") + curricular, referring to anything beyond the set curriculum.

extradite

Origin

A back-formation from "extradition" — the verb was created afterward from the existing noun.