ab extra

UK, US/æb ˈɛk.stɹə/

adverb

From outside.

“Sometimes I wonder if this country is being controlled ab extra.”

Opposite
ab intra
OriginLate Latin ab extra ← Latin ab →
First used mid 17th c.
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Meanings

adverb
  1. lawFrom outside.First known use mid 17th c.

    Sometimes I wonder if this country is being controlled ab extra.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
ab intra

Origin

  1. Latinab“from”
  2. Late Latinab extra
  3. Englishab extra

First attested in the mid 17th century. Learned borrowing from Late Latin ab extra (literally “from outside”) From Latin ab (“from”) + extra (“outside”).

More words from Late Latin, Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ab extra. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ab%20extra

MLA

“ab extra.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ab%20extra. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ab extra,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ab%20extra.

Source: ab extra on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.