Etymologically
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extra

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 19:31. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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
  • 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