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. )

Example Sentences

Last year, the Commission and the state Senate passed resolutions recognizing the centennial anniversary of the extirpation of the California grizzly, with the Senate declaring 2024 the “Year of the Grizzly.”

From Los Angeles Times

California’s gray wolves were hunted and trapped to extirpation about 100 years ago, with the last documented wild wolf shot in 1924.

From Los Angeles Times

The Golden State’s gray wolves were hunted and trapped to extirpation a century ago.

From Los Angeles Times

Fortunately, the pumas’ extirpation from the region doesn’t mean they’ll be extinct everywhere in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

The groups said the company’s taking of water has “caused the extirpation of native species and the destruction of riparian habitat — clearcut harm to the public trust.”

From Los Angeles Times