[prob. originally short for EXTRAORDINARY, which in 17th c. was commonly used as adj., adv. and sb. in the senses now belonging to extra. In Fr. extra is similarly used, and is explained by Littré as ‘a popular abbreviation of extraordinaire’; it is uncertain whether the Eng. or the Fr. use is the earlier. Presumably from Fr. the word has been adopted into Ger. (extra), Sp. and It. (estra). A Ger. quot. for extra dumm (= ‘extra stupid’) in Grimm is dated 1775.]
A. adj. Beyond or more than the usual, stipulated, or specified amount or number; additional.
1776. G. Campbell, Philos. Rhet. (1801), I. 361. Instances [of barbarisms] are hyp for hypochondriac … penult for penultimate … extra for extraordinary.
1780. T. Jefferson, Corr., Wks. 1859, I. 245. Money … for any extra wants of our own troops.
1782. Miss Burney, Cecilia, II. 34. The extra interest I must pay one of those extortioners is absolutely so much money thrown away.
1818. Art Preserv. Feet, 19. The extra exercise which the person may have been taking.
1846. Greener, Sc. Gunnery, 217. Cost is a matter of very minor consideration, when contrasted with the extra safety obtained.
1878. Lecky, Eng. in 18th C., II. v. 66. Soldiers were employed on extra pay to make the roads.
1888. Miss Braddon, Fatal Three, I. ii. She will have to put up with an extra bed in the housemaid’s room.
b. Electr.
1834. Faraday, in Phil. Trans. (1835), CXXV. 47. The whole of this extra current might be made to pass at that place.
1883. J. E. H. Gordon, Electricity, I. xxx. 330. The transient currents in a coil are produced by the induction of each portion of the current on the neighbouring wires … these … are called the ‘Extra Currents.’
c. Prefixed to trade designations of sizes (esp. of paper), to denote a size somewhat larger than that indicated by the name.
1811. Miss L. M. Hawkins, C’tess & Gertr., I. 134. These ‘extra-elephant folios’ had not always the most erudite compilers.
1892. Printer’s Catalogue, Sizes of Cards … Extra Thirds, 3 × 17/8 in. Thirds, 3 × 11/2 in.
1892. Publisher’s Catalogue, Extra foolscap octavo.
d. Of superior or unusual quality; in Extra binding, etc. Hence Extra binder.
1852. Mrs. Stowe, Uncle Tom’s C., I. iv. 43. Her corn-cakes is n’t extra, not extra now, Jinny’s corn-cakes is n’t.
1875. Ure, Dict. Arts, I. 424. The cover of the book in extra binding is generally fitted on piecemeal. Ibid., I. 425. The implement generally used by the extra binder for cutting the edges of single books is the plough.
B. adv. a. With adjs. or advbs.: Beyond the ordinary degree, unusually. Sometimes hyphened as Comb.; upon the resulting adj. a parasynthetic sb. is occas. formed, as extra-moral, extra-moralist.
In recent years, the latest edition of several London evening papers has been called the extra-special edition, the latest but one being called ‘special.’
1823. Syd. Smith, Botany Bay, Wks. 1859, II. 15–6. Those extra-moralists … refuse to associate with a convict legally pardoned.
1863. Kingsley, Water-bab. He must be an extra good boy that day.
1868. Darwin, in Life & Lett. (1887), III. 80. Any such extra-sterile individuals … it they should hereafter breed with other individuals.
Mod. Extra-superfine cloth. Extra fine tallow. Extra refined petroleum. Extra strong binding.
b. In excess of the usual or specified amount.
Mod. The larger edition contains three maps extra. Attendance is charged for extra.
C. sb. What is extra or additional; an item beyond the school curriculum; one not included in a tradesman’s contract, or a table d’hôte bill of fare; an additional piece of work; anything given in addition or for which an extra charge is made; the extra charge itself; an extra fee; an additional issue of a newspaper; spec. at cricket, a run scored otherwise than off the bat.
1803. R. Pering, in Naval Chron., XV. 154. The extra was divided into nights and tides.
1861. Thackeray, Round Papers, 100 Years hence, 137. We supplied him with little comforts and extras.
1866. ‘L. Carroll,’ Alice in Wonderland, ix. 143. ‘With extras?’… ‘Yes … we learned French and music.’
1870. Dickens, E. Drood, iii. They are neither of Miss Twinkleton’s inclusive regulars, nor of her extras.
1876. Mozley, Univ. Serm., vi. 142. A confounding and baffling extra, which was not even formally provided for in his scheme.
1884. Lillywhite’s Cricket Ann., 55. 332 [runs] including 30 extras.
1888. Z. L. White, in Harper’s Mag., LXXVII. 690/1. Hourly extras were issued, and the circulation … reached upon one day of the riot more than 70,000 copies.
1889. Daily News, 5 Aug., 7/6. The association figure for this class of iron becomes £7 5s., and hoops and strips are raised 10s … with ‘extras’ for special gauges.
Mod. The builder took the contract very low, hoping to recoup himself by extras.
