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extricating - 2 dictionary results

ex⋅tri⋅cate

   [ek-stri-keyt]
–verb (used with object), -cat⋅ed, -cat⋅ing.
1. to free or release from entanglement; disengage: to extricate someone from a dangerous situation.
2. to liberate (gas) from combination, as in a chemical process.
Origin:
1605–15; < L extricātus (ptp. of extricāre), equiv. to ex- ex- 1 + tric(ae) perplexities + -ātus -ate 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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ex·tri·cate     (ěk'strĭ-kāt')  Pronunciation Key 
tr.v.   ex·tri·cat·ed, ex·tri·cat·ing, ex·tri·cates
  1. To release from an entanglement or difficulty; disengage.
  2. Archaic To distinguish from something related.

[Latin extrīcāre, extrīcāt- : ex-, ex- + trīcae, hindrances, perplexities.]
ex'tri·ca·ble (-kə-bəl) adj., ex'tri·ca'tion n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to free from something that entangles: extricated herself from an embarrassing situation; trying to disengage his attention from the television; disentangled the oar from the water lilies; a trapped animal that untangled itself from a net.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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