Also 8 excerp, 7–8 L. pl. excerpta. [ad. L. excerpt-um, neut. of pa. pple. of excerpĕre: see EXCERPT v.]
1. A passage taken out of a printed book or manuscript; an extract, quotation, selection.
a. 1638. Mede, Par. 2 Pet. iii. App. Wks. III. 618. Some Excerpta out of the Fathers concerning the Renovation of the World.
1638. Rouse, Heav. Univ., Advt. (1702), 3. Excerpts out of all the Greek and Latin Fathers.
1704. Hearne, Duct. Hist. (1714), I. 150. An Epitome of the latter XX. Books … is also Extant…. And also noble Excerpta by one Theodosius.
1706. Sibbald, Hist. Picts, in Misc. Scot., I. 91. The excerpts of the old register of St. Andrew calleth him a bishop, and his companions Clerks.
1817. Southey, Lett., 17 April. Papers from the ‘Quarterly Review,’ together with certain excerpts from the ‘Register.’
1876. C. M. Davies, Unorth. Lond. (ed. 2), 8–9. Mr. Conway read … an excerpt from one of Mazzini’s Orations.
1882. J. T. Fowler, Mem. Ripon, I. 1. (headline) Excerpts from Chronicles.
2. An article from the ‘Transactions’ of a learned society or from a periodical, printed off separately for private circulation. Cf. off-print.
This sense has long been in use in the official correspondence of learned societies (Royal Society, Society of Antiquaries, etc.), but does not appear to be generally current.
1883. Proc. Royal Soc., 369. List Presents, [An author sends several works, of which the titles are quoted.] And fourteen other Excerpts. Ibid. (1889), 252. Excerpt. [Added in brackets to the title of a work presented.]
3. In etymological sense: A thing picked out. rare.
1837. M. Donovan, Dom. Econ., II. 15. The emperor had a large silver dish, the filling of which … occasioned wholesale slaughter; his excerpts being insignificant parts of various small and rare birds and fishes.
