What does excerption mean?
Excerption is a formal, uncommon English noun denoting a passage selected or extracted from a larger text, such as a book, article, or speech. It can also refer to the act of drawing out such a passage. The word derives from the Latin excerpere, meaning 'to pick out' or 'to pluck', formed from ex- ('out') and carpere ('to pluck, gather') — the same root behind excerpt and the phrase carpe diem. In practice, excerption has largely been displaced by its more familiar relatives 'excerpt' and 'extract', which carry the same core sense in ordinary usage. When it does appear today, it tends to surface in scholarly, legal, or literary contexts, sometimes emphasizing the process of selection rather than merely the resulting passage. Writers should treat it as a deliberate stylistic choice rather than a neutral default, since most readers will find it unfamiliar and may mistake it for an error.
A passage or extract taken from a larger written work, speech, or text.
"The lecturer read a short excerption from the opening chapter to set the scene."
Rare and formal; 'excerpt' is the usual choice in contemporary English.
The act or process of selecting or drawing out passages from a text.
"Careful excerption of the relevant clauses made the legal brief far easier to follow."
The plural is used when referring to multiple extracted passages; the second sense (the act of excerption) is typically uncountable.
"The study guide is filled with excerptions from classic novels."
Excerption comes from the same Latin root as 'carpe diem' — literally a 'plucking out' of words, as if harvesting a single passage from a field of text.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of excerption
Excerption traces back to the Latin verb excerpere, 'to pluck out' or 'pick out', built on ex- ('out of') and carpere ('to pluck, harvest'). It entered English in the early modern period alongside its sibling excerpt, both ultimately rooted in the same Latin participle excerptum. Its rarity grew over time as the shorter forms 'excerpt' and 'extract' became the standard terms for quoted passages.
How excerption is actually used
Excerption is formal and distinctly rare; in most modern writing, 'excerpt' and 'extract' are strongly preferred. It survives mainly in scholarly, legal, or antiquarian prose.
Easily confused with excerption
An excerpt is the standard, everyday noun for a passage taken from a larger work, while excerption is a much rarer synonym that can also refer to the act of extracting itself.