Excerpt vs. Extract — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 16, 2023
An excerpt is a specific portion taken from a larger text, usually to highlight or summarize content. An extract is a segment removed from a whole, often for analysis or use in another context.
Difference Between Excerpt and Extract
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
An excerpt is typically a short portion of a larger text, chosen to represent or illustrate a point. It can be used in a variety of contexts, such as academic articles, essays, or reviews. An extract, however, refers to a section taken from any whole entity, not just text, for a specific purpose, such as scientific analysis or to use in a recipe. The key difference is that "excerpt" is primarily textual, while "extract" can refer to elements from various entities.
In common usage, an excerpt often serves to condense the essence or theme of a longer text. It may be a representative quote, a poignant scene, or a crucial piece of data. An extract, by contrast, might be a chemical component removed from a plant for a study, a clip from a movie, or even a snippet of code taken from a software application. Extracts are often functional and used for a practical purpose.
While the two terms share similarities, such as being a "part of a whole," their applications and contexts are often different. An excerpt is usually cited and gives credit to the original text, aiming to respect its integrity. Extract, on the other hand, often removes the part from its original context for use in a completely different setting, sometimes altering it in the process.
In summary, while both excerpt and extract involve taking a segment from a larger entity, they differ in their scope and purpose. An excerpt is specifically a text-based representation that retains the essence of the original, whereas an extract can be any portion taken out from a larger entity for functional use.
Comparison Chart
Meaning
A portion of text
A segment of a whole
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Context
Textual, Literary
Broad, Various
Purpose
Highlight, Summarize
Analysis, Use
Source Attribution
Usually Cited
May not be Cited
Text-Specific
Yes
No
Compare with Definitions
Excerpt
An excerpt is often cited and attributed to the source.
She read an excerpt from the book, mentioning the author's name.
Extract
An extract can be used for analysis or practical application.
Vanilla extract is used in a variety of recipes.
Excerpt
An excerpt serves to represent or highlight the essence of the original work.
The excerpt from the novel perfectly captured its theme.
Extract
An extract can refer to chemical or physical properties.
The lab focused on the medicinal properties of herbal extracts.
Excerpt
An excerpt is a short portion taken from a larger text.
The newspaper included an excerpt from the president's speech.
Extract
An extract is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures, absolutes or in powder form.
Excerpt
An excerpt may be used for academic or review purposes.
The literature review featured several excerpts from seminal works.
Extract
Remove or take out, especially by effort or force
The fossils are extracted from the chalk
Excerpt
An excerpt can be a paragraph, a line, or even a single word.
The poignant excerpt was just a single, powerful sentence.
Extract
Calculate (a root of a number)
Early computers had an instruction to extract a square root
Excerpt
A passage or segment taken from a longer work, such as a literary or musical composition, a document, or a film.
Extract
A short passage taken from a text, film, or piece of music
An extract from a historical film
Excerpt
To select or use (a passage or segment from a longer work).
Extract
A preparation containing the active ingredient of a substance in concentrated form
Natural plant extracts
A shampoo with extract of camomile
Excerpt
To select or use material from (a longer work).
Extract
To draw or pull out, often with great force or effort
Extract a wisdom tooth.
Used tweezers to extract the splinter.
Excerpt
A clip, snippet, passage or extract from a larger work such as a news article, a film, or a literary composition.
Extract
To obtain despite resistance
Extract a promise.
Excerpt
(transitive) To select or copy sample material (excerpts) from a work.
Extract
To obtain from a substance by chemical or mechanical action, as by pressure, distillation, or evaporation.
Excerpt
To select; to extract; to cite; to quote.
Out of which we have excerpted the following particulars.
Extract
To remove for separate consideration or publication; excerpt.
Excerpt
An extract; a passage selected or copied from a book or record.
Extract
To derive or obtain (information, for example) from a source.
Excerpt
A passage selected from a larger work;
He presented excerpts from William James' philosophical writings
Extract
To deduce (a principle or doctrine); construe (a meaning).
Excerpt
Take out of a literary work in order to cite or copy
Extract
To derive (pleasure or comfort) from an experience.
Extract
(Mathematics) To determine or calculate (the root of a number).
Extract
A passage from a literary work; an excerpt.
Extract
A concentrated preparation of the essential constituents of a food, flavoring, or other substance; a concentrate
Maple extract.
Extract
Something that is extracted or drawn out.
Extract
A portion of a book or document, incorporated distinctly in another work; a citation; a quotation.
I used an extract of Hemingway's book to demonstrate culture shock.
Extract
A decoction, solution, or infusion made by drawing out from any substance that which gives it its essential and characteristic virtue
Extract of beef
Extract of dandelion
Vanilla extract
Extract
Any substance extracted is such a way, and characteristic of that from which it is obtained
Quinine is the most important extract of Peruvian bark.
Extract
A solid preparation obtained by evaporating a solution of a drug, etc., or the fresh juice of a plant (distinguished from an abstract).
Extract
(obsolete) A peculiar principle (fundamental essence) once erroneously supposed to form the basis of all vegetable extracts.
Extract
Ancestry; descent.
Extract
A draft or copy of writing; a certified copy of the proceedings in an action and the judgment therein, with an order for execution.
Extract
(transitive) To draw out; to pull out; to remove forcibly from a fixed position, as by traction or suction, etc.
To extract a tooth from its socket, a stump from the earth, or a splinter from the finger
Extract
(transitive) To withdraw by expression, distillation, or other mechanical or chemical process. Compare abstract (transitive verb).
To extract an essential oil from a plant
Extract
(transitive) To take by selection; to choose out; to cite or quote, as a passage from a book.
Extract
(transitive) To select parts of a whole
We need to try to extract the positives from the defeat.
Extract
To determine (a root of a number).
Please extract the cube root of 27.
Extract
To draw out or forth; to pull out; to remove forcibly from a fixed position, as by traction or suction, etc.; as, to extract a tooth from its socket, a stump from the earth, a splinter from the finger.
The beeSits on the bloom extracting liquid sweet.
Extract
To take by selection; to choose out; to cite or quote, as a passage from a book.
I have extracted out of that pamphlet a few notorious falsehoods.
Extract
That which is extracted or drawn out.
Extract
A portion of a book or document, separately transcribed; a citation; a quotation.
Extract
A decoction, solution, or infusion made by dissolving out from any substance that which gives it its essential and characteristic virtue; essence; as, extract of beef; extract of dandelion; also, any substance so extracted, and characteristic of that from which it is obtained; as, quinine is the most important extract of Peruvian bark.
Extract
A peculiar principle once erroneously supposed to form the basis of all vegetable extracts; - called also the extractive principle.
Extract
Extraction; descent.
Extract
A draught or copy of writing; certified copy of the proceedings in an action and the judgement therein, with an order for execution.
Extract
A solution obtained by steeping or soaking a substance (usually in water)
Extract
A passage selected from a larger work;
He presented excerpts from William James' philosophical writings
Extract
Draw or pull out, usually with some force or effort; also used in an abstract sense;
Pull weeds
Extract a bad tooth
Take out a splinter
Extract information from the telegram
Extract
Get despite difficulties or obstacles;
I extracted a promise from the Dean for two ne positions
Extract
Deduce (a principle) or construe (a meaning);
We drew out some interesting linguistic data from the native informant
Extract
Extract by the process of distillation;
Distill the essence of this compound
Extract
Separate (a metal) from an ore
Extract
Obtain from a substance, as by mechanical action;
Italians express coffee rather than filter it
Extract
Take out of a literary work in order to cite or copy
Extract
Calculate the root of a number
Extract
An extract is a segment removed from a whole entity.
The scientist obtained an extract from the plant.
Extract
An extract can be a clip, snippet, or component.
The highlight reel showed an extract from the game.
Extract
An extract may or may not maintain the context of the original.
The extract from the codebase was modified before use.
Common Curiosities
Is an excerpt always textual?
Yes, an excerpt is typically a portion of text.
What is an extract?
An extract is a segment removed from a whole.
Can an extract be non-textual?
Yes, an extract can be non-textual and apply to various entities.
Is an excerpt usually cited?
Yes, excerpts are typically cited and attributed to their source.
What is an excerpt?
An excerpt is a specific portion taken from a larger text.
What is the main purpose of an excerpt?
The main purpose is to highlight or summarize a part of a larger text.
Is an extract always cited?
No, extracts may or may not be cited depending on the context.
Can an extract be a chemical substance?
Yes, extracts can be chemical substances removed from a larger whole.
How long can an excerpt be?
There's no set length, but it's usually short enough to represent the larger work.
Can an extract be from a film or audio?
Yes, extracts can be from films, audios, or other types of media.
What is the main purpose of an extract?
The main purpose is for analysis or practical use.
Can an excerpt be a single word?
Yes, it can be as short as a single word.
Is an excerpt always from written works?
Typically, yes, excerpts are often from written texts.
How is an extract used in cooking?
In cooking, an extract like vanilla extract is used for flavoring.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
