extract: Meaning and Definition of

ex•tract

Pronunciation: (v.ik-strakt' or, esp. for 5, ek'straktn.ek'strakt), [key]
— v.t.
  1. to get, pull, or draw out, usually with special effort, skill, or force: to extract a tooth.
  2. to deduce (a doctrine, principle, interpretation, etc.): He extracted a completely personal meaning from what was said.
  3. to derive or obtain (pleasure, comfort, etc.) from a particular source: He extracted satisfaction from the success of his sons.
  4. to take or copy out (matter), as from a book.
  5. to make excerpts from (a book, pamphlet, etc.).
  6. to extort (information, money, etc.): to extract a secret from someone.
  7. to separate or obtain (a juice, ingredient, etc.) from a mixture by pressure, distillation, treatment with solvents, or the like.
    1. to determine (the root of a quantity that has a single root).
    2. to determine (a root of a quantity that has multiple roots).
—n.
  1. something extracted.
  2. a passage taken from a book, article, etc.; excerpt; quotation.
  3. a solution or preparation containing the active principles of a drug, plant juice, or the like; concentrated solution: vanilla extract.
  4. a solid, viscid, or liquid substance extracted from a plant, drug, or the like, containing its essence in concentrated form: beef extract.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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