Extrinsic
/ɛkˈstrɪn.sɪk/noun
Originating from or existing outside a thing; external.
Did you know?Extrinsic entered English through Latin, where it described something that came from the outside, and its root is the same ancient boundary idea behind words for “strange” and “foreign.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ters-
“to cross over, pass beyond”
Latin
Latin
extrinsecus
“from outside, on the outside”
Late Latin
Latin
extrinsecus
“external, outward”
Middle English
English
extrinsik
“external; not inherent”
Modern English
English
extrinsic
“coming from outside or not part of the essential nature of something”
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