An archaic or obsolete form meaning to pick out, select, or extract from a larger work.
From Latin excerpere, from ex- (out) + carpere (to pick, pluck). This is the ancestor of the modern word 'excerpt,' which emerged when Latin learning passed through French into English.
The Latin carpere (to pluck) is also the root of 'carpet'—originally from the plucked or tufted fabric. So when you excerpt a passage, you're literally 'plucking it out' just like plucking flowers or fibers.
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