extinguée

Extinguée is the feminine form of the past participle of the French verbs extinguer and éteindre, meaning that something has been extinguished or put out. As an adjective or participle, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. In standard usage, éteinte is the more common form when describing a light or flame; extinguée tends to appear in more formal or technical contexts or when the emphasis is on the act of extinguishing.

Etymology and sense: The word derives from the Latin exstinguere, through the French extinguer, with éteindre as a closely related verb for the same concept of putting out a flame or stopping a source of light or heat. Extinguée conveys the resulting state after the act of extinguishing, and can be found in literary or specialized registers as an alternative to éteinte.

Usage and grammar: Extinguée functions as a past participle used adjectivally or in compound tenses. When the auxiliary is avoir and the preceding direct object is feminine, the participle agrees: La lampe que j'ai extinguée. In everyday prose, speakers more often use éteinte, but extinguée remains correct and recognizable in contexts stressing the action of extinguishing or in certain formal styles.

See also: éteindre, extinguer, extincteur. Translation: extinguished.