extradite

UK/ˈɛk.stɹəˌdaɪt/US/ˈɛk.stɹəˌdaɪt/

verbC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,307 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: extradited, extraditing

To extradite is to send an accused person back to face trial abroad. Extradite the suspect, refuse to extradite, extradited to Spain.

It works only where a treaty exists, and most treaties refuse it where the person would face the death penalty or where the offence is political — which is why extradition fights take years. Note that the word was made backwards from extradition, and that the Latin means handing over from.

Definitions of extradite

1verbextraditeTo send an accused person back to face trial abroad.C1
“The suspect was arrested in Spain and extradited to Britain to face trial.”

extradite is a handing over.

Where it comes from

A back-formation from extradition, from French, from Latin ex plus traditio, a handing over. Tradition and traitor come from the same handing over.

a back-formation from extradition.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Spying & Secrecy

Practise this word

extradite in the wild

Some countries may refuse to extradite non-nationals, who because of their crimes may be subject to the death penalty.
Jus de non evocando
In late 2011 Germany declined a request to extradite Dalan.
Bedrettin Dalan
Since then, Polanski has mostly lived in France and has avoided visiting any countries likely to extradite him to the United States.
Roman Polanski sexual abuse case
Summoned by the Dutch authorities he refused to appear, and when the chiefs were asked to extradite him they refused.
Dutch intervention in Bali (1858)
After the trial, the United States dismissed a Soviet request to extradite him.
Antanas Impulevičius

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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