The term "extinct" is deployed in literature with remarkable versatility, oscillating between literal scientific descriptions and evocative metaphors. In natural history, for example, it appears in discussions of species that have disappeared forever—Darwin uses it in the context of living and extinct species ([1], [2], [3]), while Jefferson and others refer to vanished animals or traditions ([4], [5]). In more imaginative and philosophical texts, "extinct" takes on a figurative role: early Gothic works such as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein portray vanishing miseries or lost life ([6], [7], [8]), and writers like Poe and Dumas use it to signal dormant passions or beliefs awaiting resurrection ([9], [10]). This layering of meaning is further amplified by its application to cultural practices ([11], [12], [13]) and even personal or familial lineage ([14], [15]), showcasing the word's power to render both palpable finality and latent possibility in literature.