extremity

Everyday

1. Your extremities are the far parts of your body, like your hands, feet, fingers and toes. tree →
2. The far end or edge of something, such as a place. tree →
3. (formal) A very serious or dangerous situation, or a very high degree of something. tree →

In the lessons

Used in health and safety: in cold weather, extremities such as fingers and toes get frostbite first. In geography: the northern extremity of a country. It tells the reader about the ends or edges.

Examples

• Cold weather makes your extremities feel numb first. tree →
• Frostbite can damage fingers, toes and other extremities. tree →
• The lighthouse stood at the southern extremity of the island. tree →
• Wear gloves and thick socks to keep your extremities warm. tree →
• The doctor checked the blood flow to his extremities. tree →
• In their extremity, the sailors ate the last of the bread. tree →
• I am, therefore, very unhappy, and in my extremity I determined to ask the help of a human being. tree →

Note

Mostly used in the plural: extremities. Formal word. Related adjective: extreme. Safety: cover hands, feet and ears in freezing weather.

In Jewish tradition

In Sefer Yetzirah it means one of two opposite ends, with the tongue as a balance between them.

Interpretation. Tradition reads the tongue or wedge as the middle that balances two opposites, such as merit and guilt.

Examples

• Elsewhere in the SY, the ‘tongue’ (or ‘wedge’) appears as the symbol of a central balance between two extremities, e.g. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →

Note

Mostly used in the plural: extremities. Formal word. Related adjective: extreme. Safety: cover hands, feet and ears in freezing weather.