extingué

Extingué is a French term that functions as both a past participle and an adjective. It is the masculine singular form of the past participle of the verb extinguer, which means to extinguish or to quench. As an adjective, extingué describes something that has been put out or is no longer active, such as a flame, a light, or a signal.

Etymology and forms: Extingué derives from Latin exstinguere, through Old French extinguer, and entered modern French with the sense of putting out a flame or activity. The word inflects for gender and number: masculin singulier extingué, féminin singulier extinguée, masculin pluriel extingués, féminin pluriel extinguées.

Usage: In contemporary French, the preferred verb for everyday extinguishing is éteindre, with the past participle éteint or éteints. Extingué is more common in formal, technical, or literary contexts, or in certain fixed expressions. It can appear in past-tense constructions with the auxiliary avoir (j'ai extingué le feu), though many speakers would instead say j'ai éteint le feu. As an adjective, it can describe something that has already been extinguished, such as a fire that is extingué or a lamp that is extinguée in a formal register.

See also: extinguer, éteindre, extinction, éteint.