Extinction

English Meaning

The act of extinguishing or making extinct; a putting an end to; the act of putting out or destroying light, fire, life, activity, influence, etc.

1. The act of extinguishing.
2. The condition of being extinguished.
3. The fact of being extinct or the process of becoming extinct: "The most effective agent in the extinction of species is the pressure of other species” ( Alfred R. Wallace).
4. Psychology A reduction or a loss in the strength or rate of a conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus or reinforcement is withheld.
5. Physiology A gradual decrease in the excitability of a nerve to a previously adequate stimulus, usually resulting in total loss of excitability.