Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - excerpt

 I. transitive verb  Etymology: Latin ~us, past participle of excerpere, from ex- + carpere to gather, pluck — more at harvest  Date: 15th century  1. to select (a passage) for quoting ; extract  2. to take or publish extracts from (as a book)  • ~or or ~er noun  • ~ion noun  II. noun  Date: 1627 a passage (as from a book or musical composition) selected, performed, or copied ; extract