Extraits

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Substances obtained by separating and concentrating the active components from a larger material; selected passages taken from a text for emphasis or reference; components derived by isolating specific elements from a mixture
2. Concentrated portions extracted by separating key ingredients from a substance; excerpts or segments chosen from written or spoken works; elements separated out from combinations for use or analysis
3. Material separated through a process to isolate essential parts or principles; selected snippets or quotes drawn from documents or speeches; distinguished components obtained by removing them from a composite source

Etymology: "Extraits" is the plural of "extrait", a French noun that English borrowed directly from French. Its ultimate source is the Latin "extractum", the neuter past participle of "extrahere", meaning "to draw out," built from "ex-" ("out") and "trahere" ("to draw"). The same Latin root gives English "extract," which entered the language from the same participle, so the two words are close relatives that took different routes. The French form passed into English as a term for something drawn out of a larger whole, whether a concentrated essence or a chosen passage from a book. The sense of a selected passage, the one people use when they speak of "extraits" from a text, follows the same logic: a piece pulled out of the body it came from. The plural form simply reflects that several such portions or preparations are being referred to at once.

Synonyms: extracts, essences, concentrates, excerpts