Extremity
The farthest point or edge of something, or the utmost limit or degree of something; in anatomy, a limb or appendage.
nounExtremity
The farthest point or edge of something, or the utmost limit or degree of something; in anatomy, a limb or appendage.
nounImagine This
Imagine standing at the very end of a long pier where the land ends and the sea begins—the extremity of the pier is the furthest point toward the water.
Sounds Like
ik-STREM-i-tee
Looks Like
Looks like extreme + -ity; visually resembles the word 'extreme'.
Remember This
Extremity is often used for limbs (hands, feet) in anatomy; the plural form extremities refers to all such limbs. The word also appears in phrases describing the utmost limits of conditions or resources (e.g., at the extremity of danger). The root is Latin, connected to outermost or farthest points.
Other Forms
Connect With
edge, boundary, limit, end, terminus; also related to extreme concepts and to limbs (hands/feet) in anatomy.
Note
Do not confuse with extremely or extremism. Ext extremity is a noun (singular) and extremities is the plural. In everyday usage, it commonly refers to the edge or limit of something, or to a limb of the body.
Study Deeper
- Her fingers and toes, the extremities of her body, were numb after the cold.
- The expedition pushed toward the extremity of the desert, where the map ended and the landscape opened into unknown terrain.
From Latin extremitas 'outermost point', from extremus 'outermost'; via Old French extrémité.
EXTREME + TY: An extremity is the extreme end or edge of something; remember the word by recognizing it contains 'extreme' and denotes the end.
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Acronym
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