extirpation

[ek-ster-pey-shuhn]

noun

1. Biology, Ecology.,  (of a species) the state or condition of having become locally or regionally extinct.

   Forest elephants in Central Africa have experienced a 65 percent reduction in their populations, and extirpation is imminent if the poaching rate persists.

2. Medicine/Medical.,  the removal or excision of a tumor, organ, etc..

   Minor controllable bleeding was the only noted complication associated with lymph node extirpation in two of the thirty-nine performed procedures.

Word History and Origins

Origin of extirpation¹

First recorded in 1540–50, for an earlier sense; extirpat(e) ( def. ) + -ion ( def. )