extant

Definitions

From Latin exstare: ex- (out, forth) + stare (to stand) = 'to stand out, stand forth' — i.e., to still be there, sticking out into the present. Extant manuscripts are the ones that have survived and still 'stand' today.

Why It Means This

Compare with extinct: extant means 'still standing/surviving,' extinct means 'died out.' Used especially of old documents, species, or buildings that have survived from the past.

Common Collocations

• 1.extant copies现存抄本
• 2.extant manuscripts现存手稿
• 3.oldest extant现存最古老的
• 4.extant species现存物种

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Only three extant copies of the manuscript remain.

• 2.

  The oldest extant building in the town dates from 1450.

Easily Confused

extant vs extinct — extant = still existing; extinct = no longer existing, died out. Both start ex- but mean opposite states of survival.