To push, squeeze, or force something through or out of an opening, especially to shape material by forcing it through a die.
From Latin ex- 'out' + trudere 'to thrust or push,' which also appears in 'intrude,' 'protrude,' and 'obtrude.' The term became common in manufacturing in the 19th century.
This Latin root 'trudere' (to thrust) is wonderfully violent—and that matches reality: extrusion is a forceful manufacturing process that creates everything from aluminum window frames to Play-Doh shapes! The same root gives us the creepy word 'intrude,' literally 'to thrust in.'
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