extrication

American  

[ek-stri-key-shuhn] / ˌɛk strɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of freeing a trapped or entangled person or thing.

   In an avalanche, rapid extrication of victims within 10 to 20 minutes of burial is essential for survival.

   Unexpectedly, it is the children who bear the burden of the family's extrication from the problems overtaking them.

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Other Word Forms

• nonextrication
  noun

Etymology

Origin of extrication

First recorded in 1610–20; equivalent to Latin extrīcāre ( see extricate ( def. )) + -ion ( def. )

Explanation

Extrication is when you set someone or something free. If your dog gets tangled in your neighbor's hammock, she might require some extrication. The act of getting someone out of a physically tangled or otherwise complicated situation is extrication. When you unwind the yarn your cat is twisted in, that's extrication. And when you get your friend out of a complicated legal situation, that's also extrication. When you get yourself out of a difficult or awkward circumstance, that's also extrication. The Latin root is extricare, from ex, "out," and tricae, "perplexities or hindrances."

Example Sentences

The Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication now has 170 first-responder teams, 12 training centers and 4 helicopters, with a fifth on the way this spring.

From New York Times • Feb. 11, 2012

He says, “Stay out of the way, Mason. Way out! Extrication is very tricky. Let them assess the situation. Let them work.”

From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor

Related Words

• breakout
• departure
• desertion
• disappearance
• flight
• freedom
• liberation
• outbreak
• rescue
• withdrawal