a passage selected from a larger work
"he presented excerpts from William James' philosophical writings"
Something that is extracted or drawn out.
"The herbal supplement contains a concentrated extract of ginseng designed to boost energy levels."
In plain English: An extract is a short part of a larger work that has been taken out to be read separately.
"The doctor extracted a small amount of blood for testing."
Usage: As a noun, an extract refers to a concentrated portion of something, such as a specific passage from a text or a liquid obtained by removing soluble solids. Use this term when describing a distilled essence or a selected segment rather than the act of taking something out.
get despite difficulties or obstacles
"I extracted a promise from the Dean for two new positions"
separate (a metal) from an ore
"The refinery used advanced chemical processes to extract gold from the low-grade rock they mined in the Andes."
calculate the root of a number
"The calculator was slow to extract the square root of that massive prime number."
To draw out; to pull out; to remove forcibly from a fixed position, as by traction or suction, etc.
"The doctor used a gentle pulling technique to extract the splinter from his thumb without causing any more pain."
In plain English: To extract something means to take it out of a place or situation, often by using force or effort.
"He tried to extract the stuck key from the lock with some force."
Usage: Use "extract" when you mean to physically remove something difficult to get out, such as pulling a tooth or taking data from a file. It implies effort or force in the removal process, distinguishing it from simply taking something that is easily accessible.
The word entered English from the Latin extractum, which originally described something that had been dragged out. It combines the prefix meaning "out of" with a verb root meaning "to drag."