extraneous
English edit
Etymology edit
From Latin extrāneus (“from without, strange”). Doublet of strange. Cognate with estrange (verb), Spanish extraño.
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɛkˈstɹeɪ.ni.əs/
- (General Australian) IPA(key): /ekˈstɹæɪ.ni.əs/
- (US) IPA(key): /ɪkˈstɹeɪ.ni.əs/, /ɛkˈstɹeɪ.ni.əs/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (AU) (file) - Rhymes: -eɪniəs
Adjective edit
extraneous (not comparable)
- Not belonging to, or dependent upon, a thing; without or beyond a thing; foreign
- to separate gold from extraneous matter
- Extraneous substances were found on my cup of water.
- Not essential or intrinsic
- 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC:
- Edward had seen beauty often, and seen it with every possible aid; but never had he seen beauty so perfect, yet so utterly devoid of extraneous assistance.
- 1964 May, “News and Comment: Minister hamstrings BR workshops”, in Modern Railways, page 291:
- If the Government believes that part of the railways' salvation is to be found in ridding them of extraneous concerns, it should have had the courage either to close the railway works down as quickly as possible, or to hive them off as an entirely separate concern, [...].
Synonyms edit
- (not belonging to): additional, alien, foreign, intrusive; See also Thesaurus:foreign
- (not essential): superfluous, extra; See also Thesaurus:extrinsic
Antonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
not belonging to, or dependent upon, a thing
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not essential or intrinsic
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