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

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

The tribe has watched salmon harvest decline by more than 80% in the past decades, and the unaddressed impacts of climate change are sending the salmon toward extirpation, Brimmer argued in the letter.

From Seattle Times

The magnificent ramshorn is endemic to the lower Cape Fear River Basin, and lived in three captive populations in North Carolina since 2004 following its extirpation from the wild, according to the wildlife commission.

From Washington Times

Where species collapse does not occur, “climate change may result in large-scale mortality and population extirpation due to maladaptation of populations.”

From Scientific American