extinctus
The Latin word for off (meaning inoperative or disabled) is extinctus.
The adjective extinctus is used to describe something that is inoperative or disabled. In medieval Latin, the preposition ab may also be used to convey the sense of 'off'.
Meaning: inoperative, disabled (adj)
Did you know?
- In legal Latin, the term extinctus was used to describe a right or a debt that had been 'off' or terminated, meaning it no longer had any legal force.
- The word extinctus is the direct ancestor of the English word 'extinct', but in Latin it was used for everyday things like a candle or a fire that had gone 'off'.
- While extinctus describes a state, the verb extinguere was often used metaphorically to mean quenching a passion or a desire, effectively turning an emotion 'off'.
Examples in context
- Descende ēquōGet off the horse
- Detrahe tunicam tuamTake off your coat
- Descende ex scaenaStep off the stage
- Descende ex sellaGet off the chair
- Ignis est extinctus.The fire is out.
