Extremity Meaning
/ɪkˈstɹɛmɪti/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe most extreme or furthest point of something.
nounAn extreme measure.
Sentence Examples
He was driven to the last extremity.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The hiker suffered frostbite on his left ____ during the blizzard.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He felt a sharp pain in his lower ____ after he tripped and fell down the steep stairs.
Word Origin & History
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)).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[B]eſtowe your love on him, who, were it not to do you ſervice, would through the extremitie of love rather wiſh to die then live."
— 1576, George Whetstone, “The Castle of Delight: […]”, in The Rocke of Regard, […], London: […] [H. Middleton] for Robert Waley, →OCLC; republished in J[ohn] P[ayne] Collier, editor, The Rocke of Regard, […] (Illustrations of Early English Poetry; vol. 2, no. 2), London: Privately printed, [1867?], →OCLC, pages 55–56:
"Any ſphere revolving as on an axis, muſt have two points on its ſurface at the extremities of its axis, that do not revolve at all; theſe points, with reſpect to the Earth, are called its poles."
— 1780, J[ohn] Robertson, William Wales, “Section II. Of Terrestrial Astronomy.”, in The Elements of Navigation; Containing the Theory and Practice. With the Necessary Tables, and Compendiums for Finding the Latitude and Longitude at Sea. To which is Added, a Treatise of Marine Fortification. Composed for the Use of the Royal Mathematical School at Christ’s Hospital, the Royal Academy at Portsmouth, and the Gentlemen of the Navy. In Two Volumes, 4th edition, London: Printed for J[ohn] Nourse, bookseller to His Majesty, →OCLC, book V (Of Astronomy), paragraph 52, page 206:
"Scrooge said that he would see him—yes, indeed he did. He went the whole length of the expression, and said that he would see him in that extremity [i.e., hell] first."
— 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave I. Marley’s Ghost.”, in A Christmas Carol. […], London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 10:
"Reference was made in the January-February issue to some of the optimistic railway titles of the past, such as the Manchester & Milford, and the Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast, neither of which got anywhere near the extremities indicated in their titles during their independent existence."
— 1944 November and December, “What's in a Name?”, in Railway Magazine, page 333:
"Sitting on the dockside at Oban, watching the to-ing and fro-ing in the harbour on a perfect summer's eve, I reflect on a trip which has taken me through our busiest cities to traverse the country's main lines, as well as explore some of the furthest extremities that were literally out on a limb."
— 2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 79:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The hiker suffered frostbite on his left ____ during the blizzard.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He felt a sharp pain in his lower ____ after he tripped and fell down the steep stairs.