Extinguished

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. To bring a flame or light to a stop while also ending an ongoing event or situation and nullifying the existence or validity of something else
2. To stop a fire or light from burning ; to bring an activity or state to a full stop so it no longer continues
3. To cause a flame or glow to go out completely ; to terminate an event, condition, or claim decisively

Etymology: "Extinguished" is the past form of "extinguish," a verb borrowed from Latin "extinguo," meaning "to put out" or "quench." The Latin verb combines "ex," meaning "out," with "stinguere," an old verb for quenching or putting out a fire. So at its root, the word describes snuffing a flame and nothing more abstract. English took the verb directly from Latin, and it shares an origin with "extinct." The two words are doublets: they descend from the same Latin verb but entered English by different routes, so they ended up with related but distinct meanings. "Extinct" came to describe something that has died out or ceased to exist, while "extinguish" kept closer to its original sense of putting out a fire, then widened to cover ending anything, such as a hope, a debt, or a claim.

Synonyms: quenched, snuffed

Antonyms: ignited, kindled