strange c.1280, "from elsewhere, foreign, unknown, unfamiliar," from O.Fr.
estrange (Fr.
étrange) "foreign, alien," from L.
extraneus "foreign, external," from
extra "outside of" (see
extra)...
extra 1654, modern usages -- including sense of "minor performer in a play" (1777) and "special edition of a newspaper" (1793) -- all probably are from shortenings of
extraordinary, which was used extensively in 18c. as n. and adv. in places we would use
extra today. The prefix
extra- was only recorded in classical L. in
extraordinarius, but has been much used in modern formations such as
extraterrestrial (1860s as an adj.; 1963 as a n.), and represents the old fem. abl. of
exterus "outward, outside."
exterior 1528, from L.
exterior, comp. of
exterus "outer," comp. of
ex "out of."
