extinguished

Extinguished is the past participle of extinguish. It refers to something that has been caused to stop burning, quenching a flame, or ceasing to shine. The most common usage is in relation to fires: "The fire was extinguished." It also applies to candles, lamps, and other sources of light that have been put out. Beyond physical extinguishment, the term is used metaphorically to indicate that a hope, opportunity, or feeling has been suppressed or ended.

Etymology: Extinguish derives from Latin exstinguere, literally "to quench out" (ex- meaning "out" and stinguere "to quench"), passing into Old French extinguer and Middle English extinguissen before becoming extinguish and extinguished.

In legal and financial contexts, extinguished describes rights, claims, or obligations that have ended or been satisfied. For example, a debt may be extinguished by payment, or a lien or contract may be extinguished by release. In property and patent law, extinguishment denotes the termination of an asserted interest or entitlement.

See also: extinguish, extinguishment, quench. The word is commonly used across disciplines to convey cessation of activity, presence, or validity.