The word emphasized means <em>"To give special importance or prominence to (something) in speaking or writing."</em>
The part of the dictionary entry that provides information about the origin of the word extravagant is, 'Middle English < Medieval Latin extrāvagant- (stem of extrāvagāns), present participle of extrāvagārī, equivalent to extrā- extra- + vagārī to wander.'
<u>Explanation</u>:
It was during the 1350-1400 that the word extravagant was derived from the Latin word 'extrāvagant' which is a stem of extrāvagāns. The present participle of this word is extrāvagārī, if we find out the meaning of this word it is extra+vagari which means to wander. So extravagant basically means spending much more than what is necessary, spending an extra amount towards something. It also means going beyond what is actually required.
Here is the answer of the given question above. The <span>excerpt from "The Masque of the Red Death" that best shows Prince Prospero’s self-centeredness is this:
</span><span>But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys.</span>
