extirpated

American  

[ek-ster-pey-tid, ik-stur-pey-] / ˈɛk stərˌpeɪ tɪd, ɪkˈstɜr peɪ- /

adjective

1. having been destroyed or removed.

   Histological examination determined that all the extirpated tumors were meningiomas.

2. Biology. (of a species) no longer found in a given area; locally or regionally extinct.

   In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the James River is the last confirmed holdout for the nearly extirpated Atlantic sturgeon.

   The successful reintroduction of an extirpated species such as the scarlet ibis indicates that it may be possible to recover at least part of the original biota of the region.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of extirpate.

Other Word Forms

• unextirpated adjective

Etymology

Origin of extirpated

First recorded in 1695–1705; extirpate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; extirpate ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Wildlife officials have collared a dozen gray wolves in Northern California in an effort to better understand and manage the species that has made a comeback in the state after being extirpated a century ago.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2025

"Jaguars were nearly, but never fully, extirpated from this region," McSpadden explained, adding that they are "tenacious" animals, and populations from northern Mexico have always strayed across the U.S.-Mexico border from time to time.

From Salon • May 31, 2024

Things have changed a lot since the bears were functionally extirpated from the area.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 26, 2023

This suggests that local populations may have been extirpated -- a term to describe a type of localized extinction, said study co-author Scott Baker, associate director of OSU's Marine Mammal Institute.

From Science Daily • Oct. 2, 2023

In the United States the reward is fifteen and twenty dollars a head, and from their new settlements the wolves are quickly extirpated.

From Sketches in Canada, and rambles among the red men by Jameson, Mrs. (Anna)