'extinction' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'extinctio' (from the verb 'extinguere'), where the prefix 'ex-' meant 'out' and 'stinguere' (related to 'stinctus') meant 'to quench/put out'.

'extinction' changed from Late Latin 'extinctio' into Old French 'extincion' and Middle English forms (e.g. 'extincion'/'extynccioun'), eventually becoming the modern English word 'extinction' (plural 'extinctions').

Initially, it meant 'the act of putting out or extinguishing' (e.g., a fire); over time it broadened to mean 'ending or dying out' in biological, cultural, and technical senses, which is its modern range of meanings.