different between extinction vs downfall

English

Etymology

From late Middle English, borrowed from Latin extinctio (“extinction, annihilation”), from extinguere, past participle extinctus (“to extinguish”); see extinguish.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?st??k??n/

Noun

extinction (countable and uncountable, plural extinctions)

1. The action of making or becoming extinct; annihilation.
2. (astronomy) The absorption or scattering of electromagnetic radiation emitted by astronomical objects by intervening dust and gas before it reaches the observer.
3. (pathology) The inability to perceive multiple stimuli simultaneously.
4. (psychology) The fading of a conditioned response over time if it is not reinforced.

Related terms

• extinctionism
• extinctionist
• extinct
• extinguish
• hemiextinction

Translations

References

• extinction in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• extinction in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• ctenitoxin

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin extincti?, extincti?nem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k.st??k.sj??/

Noun

extinction f (plural extinctions)

1. extinction

Related terms

• éteint

Further reading

• “extinction” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

From down- +? fall. In this spelling, from 16th century; spelled as two words from 13th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?da?nf??l/

Noun

downfall (countable and uncountable, plural downfalls)

1. A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.

   Synonyms: (precipitous decline in fortune) fall, (death or rapid deterioration) doom
2. The cause of such a fall; a critical blow or error.
   • Orson Scott Card

     It is the downfall of evil, that it never sees far enough ahead.

3. An act of falling down.

Derived terms

• Operation Downfall

Translations

Verb

downfall (third-person singular simple present downfalls, present participle downfalling, simple past downfell, past participle downfallen)

1. (intransitive) To fall down; deteriorate; decline.
   • 1998, Peter Vink, Ernst A. P. Koningsveld, Steven Dhondt, Human factors in organizational design and management-VI:

     Common belief has been that in the future the number of middle managers will downfall due to empowerment and team-building.

   • 1998, Lithuanian physics journal:

     It should be noted that the magnitude of satellites decreases when tuning out of degeneracy, and in the wavelength range of 1.2-1.3 pm it downfalls to the value of 10-15% of the main spike magnitude.

Derived terms

• down-fallen, downfallen

Anagrams

• Wolfland, fall down, landfowl