extra

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈek.strə/^[1]

Etymology

It is probably a shortening of extraordinary,^[2][3][4] which in the 17th and 18th centuries was used as an adjective, adverb and noun where extra would be used today,^[5][6] perhaps suggested by similar forms in French and German.^[7][8] Barnhart notes an earlier use in 1654 of Latin extrā (“outside, beyond”) as an adjective, “outside, external”.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

As an adjective, “outside, external”: 1654,^[5] or the 1650s;^[6] Merriam-Webster gives 1757.^[3] The sense “more than usual, additional” is from 1776.^[5][9]

Semantic evolution

A person engaged for a minor part in a play, or to appear in a crowd scene, is from 1777–78,^[5][9][6] and a special edition of a newspaper from 1793.^[6][3] Another old word for an actor without lines was supernumerary.^[6] The adverb, “unusually”, is from 1823.^[5][9] “Of superior quality”, as in extra binding, is from 1850.^[9] In cricket extra cover, a fielding position, is from 1867.^[9]

Timeline

• 1654 – outside, external.^[5]
• 1776 – additional.^[5][9]
• 1777–78 – an actor in a minor part.^[5]
• 1793 – a special edition of a newspaper.^[6]
• 1823 – adverb, unusually.^[5]
• 1850 – of superior quality.^[9]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. More than is usual or necessary; additional.
2. For which an additional charge is made.

Noun

1. Something additional, especially an item that costs more.
2. A person hired for a small part in a film, especially in a crowd scene.
3. A special edition of a newspaper.

Adverb

1. Unusually; especially: extra careful.
2. In addition: pay extra.

Word family

• ab extra
• extra cover
• extra point

Related words

• extraordinary
• extra-
• external
• exterior
• supernumerary

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
6. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press