Ekstensive

Ekstensive is an adjective used primarily in philosophy, linguistics, and the sciences to refer to extension or to properties that depend on the size or amount of something. It is an uncommon variant spelling of the more standard English term extensive, though it appears in some historical or specialized texts.

In its scientific sense, ekstensive (extensive) describes quantities that scale with the amount of substance or the size of a system. Examples include mass, volume, length, and energy. Such quantities are typically additive across disjoint subsystems: if you combine two separate samples, the ekstensive quantity of the whole is the sum of the quantities of its parts. This contrasts with intensive quantities, like temperature or pressure, which do not depend on the system’s size.

In philosophy and semantics, ekstensive can also relate to extension—the set of all things to which a term applies. In this usage, terms have an extension (their referents) and an intension (the concept they carry). An ekstensive focus would be on the extension of a term rather than on its sense or connotation, aligning with extensional versus intensional semantics.

Etymology and usage notes: ekstensive derives from the concept of extension and the Latin extensio. In modern English, the preferred form is extensive, and ekstensive is largely confined to older writings, translations, or niche scholarly contexts. When encountered, the meaning is typically close to extensive, with attention to extension, size, or amount.

See also: extension, extensionality, intensive quantities, immaterial vs material properties.