Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
verb (used with object), ex·trap·o·lat·ed, ex·trap·o·lat·ing.
- to infer (an unknown) from something that is known; conjecture.
- Statistics. to estimate (the value of a variable) outside the tabulated or observed range.
- Mathematics. to estimate (a function that is known over a range of values of its independent variable) to values outside the known range.
verb (used without object), ex·trap·o·lat·ed, ex·trap·o·lat·ing.
- to perform extrapolation.
verb
- maths to estimate (a value of a function or measurement) beyond the values already known, by the extension of a curveCompare interpolate (def. 4)
- to infer (something not known) by using but not strictly deducing from the known facts
v.1874, a back-formation from extrapolation by analogy of interpolate. Said in early references to be an expression of Sir George Airy (1801-1892), English mathematician and astronomer. Related: Extrapolated; extrapolating.
- To estimate the value of a quantity that falls outside the range in which its values are known.