endling

[ end ling ]

noun

1. an individual living thing that is the last survivor of its species or subspecies and whose death consequently means the extinction of that species or subspecies:

   The endling of the once plentiful passenger pigeons was Martha, who died in a zoo in 1914.

2. a person who is the last living member of a family line and whose death consequently means the end of that lineage:

   Sadly, Kenneth, childless and himself an only child, is soon to leave this world, alone and an endling.

Word History and Origins

Origin of endling¹

First recorded in 1996 in the correspondence in the British journal Nature; end ¹( def ) + -ling ¹( def )

Example Sentences

In the parlance of 2022, Farrow's unicorn is an "endling": the last of her kind.

From Salon

The concept has seeped so deeply into the bedrock of contemporary culture that there's even a popular Nintendo Switch game called "Endling: Extinction is Forever."

From Salon

In a video game climate that bends over backwards to assure you the cute little creatures you play as or with cannot be harmed, it was shocking to hear the mother fox’s neck snap in Endling - Extinction is Forever.

From The Verge

But Endling isn’t a hopeful tale.

From The Verge

Nor do I fault Herobeat Games for taking a less-than-hopeful tack with Endling.

From The Verge