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Added 9 October 2026

extremity

/ɪkˈstɹɛmɪti/ noun

In Latin: extremitās Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about extremity at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

An external body part that projects from the body.
it is important to keep the extremities warm
An extreme condition or state (especially of adversity or disease).
The greatest or utmost degree.
the extremity of despair

Origin

From Middle English extremite, from Old French extremité, from Latin extrēmitātem (“extremity; border, perimeter; ending”), from extrēmīs (“furthest, extreme”) + -itās (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts (suffix forming nouns indicating a state of being); see extreme. Extrēmīs is derived from exter (“external, outward”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs (“out”)) + -issimus (superlative suffix) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *-is- (comparative suffix) + *-(t)m̥mo- (absolutive case suffix)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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