2006-09-15 05:31:41 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Other - Arts & Humanities
extra- as a prefix can mean outside, or beyond. and comes from the Latin extra meaning outside, beyond, or except.
Thus extraordinary mean beyond ordinary.
The word extra probably developed as a contraction of the word extraordinary and has much the same meaning as extraordinary with perhaps less emphasis.
Coffee is extra. -- beyond ordinary set price for meal.
2006-09-15 06:53:05 · answer #1 · answered by Nick â? 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
"Extra" is a Latin prefix that wound its way into English. In Latin it basically means "outside." In that context, "extraordinary" means "outside ordinary" or "beyond ordinary." That's how it comes to mean special.
"Extra" in the sense of "more than needed," I suppose, comes in the sense of "outside what's necessary" (as in "extraneous"). I'm not an etymologist, so there could be a better story, but that's what the word's root means.
2006-09-15 12:46:58 · answer #2 · answered by the alex 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Extra does not mean more than needed in this case, here it means outside or beyond.
So extra-ordinary means beyond the normal.
Similarly extra-terrestial come from outside the earth rather than surplus to earth's requirements.
2006-09-15 12:41:03 · answer #3 · answered by Chris C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Extra- only means more than or on another level, like extraterrestrial.
Extraordinary would basically be "more than ordinary" implying that it is of some significance.
2006-09-15 12:41:42 · answer #4 · answered by phantasm81986 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
'extra' has many meanings, one of them is outside. So 'extraordinary' has the meaning of outside the ordinary, beyond what is ordinary or usual
2006-09-15 12:42:53 · answer #5 · answered by Mr Cellophane 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"extra" comes from Latin and it means "beyond or outside" - that's why extraordinary means beyond and outside of the ordinary.
Cool question.
2006-09-15 12:45:59 · answer #6 · answered by star l 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just combine the two words: "more than needed" + "ordinary" gives "more than ordinary", which is a good definition for extraordinary.
2006-09-15 12:41:44 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's just the crazy English language for you. You can ask that of a lot of words. I don't see how anybody who doesn't have English as a first language ever learns how to speak it.
2006-09-15 12:40:15 · answer #8 · answered by yellow! 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Thats a good question, I like it.
You are more than plain.
Thats what I would see it as.
I might be wrong though.
2006-09-15 12:58:30 · answer #9 · answered by Ella. 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the same reason we park in a driveway and drive on a parkway; LOL
2006-09-15 12:41:13 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋