extraction

Everyday

1. Extraction is taking or pulling something out, like a tooth from a mouth or oil from the ground. tree →
2. (science) Extraction is getting a substance out of a mixture, like getting juice out of fruit or salt from sea water. tree →
3. (formal) A person's extraction is the country or family they come from: «of Irish extraction». tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons pupils learn extraction of metals from ores, of salt by evaporation, of colour from plants. In geography, extraction means mining and drilling. At the dentist, an extraction is taking out a tooth. Phrases: «tooth extraction», «oil extraction», «of … extraction».

Examples

• The dentist did an extraction of my wobbly tooth. tree →
• Oil extraction can harm the environment. tree →
• We did an extraction of colour from beetroot in science. tree →
• Salt extraction from sea water uses evaporation. tree →
• She is of Italian extraction. tree →
• Coal extraction used to be the town's main job. tree →
• The extraction of iron from rock needs a furnace. tree →
• My father was a Rocket like myself, and of French extraction. tree →

Note

Countable when it is one event (two extractions), uncountable for the process. Verb: extract. Adjective: extractive. «Of Irish extraction» is formal and means Irish family background.