English Explanatory Dictionary

attenuate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To reduce in size, force, value, amount, or degree.
  2. To make thinner, as by physically reshaping, starving, or decaying.
  3. To become thin or fine; to grow less.
  4. To weaken.
  5. To rarefy.
  6. To reduce the virulence of a bacterium or virus.
  7. To reduce the amplitude of an electrical, radio, or optical signal.
  8. Of a beer, to become less dense as a result of the conversion of sugar to alcohol.
adj
  1. Slender, thin.
  2. Rarefied, thin, refined.
  3. Gradually tapering into a petiole-like extension toward the base.

Pronunciation

/əˈtɛn.juˌeɪt/ en-us-attenuate.ogg /əˈten.jʉˌæɪt/

Word forms

attenuate attenuates attenuating attenuated more attenuate most attenuate

Etymology

The verb is first attested in 1530, the adjective in 1626; borrowed from Latin attenuātus, the perfect passive participle of attenuō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to, towards, at”) + tenuo (“to make thin”), itself from tenuis (“thin”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

Synonyms

dilute diminish lessen mitigate slender weaken

Antonyms

amplify strengthen intensify

Related words

extenuate tenuities tenuity tenuous

Derived words

attenuable attenuation attenuative attenuator deattenuate disattenuate hyperattenuating hypoattenuating isoattenuate reattenuate subattenuate

Translations

Bulgarian: намалявам Catalan: atenuar Esperanto: atenui French: atténuer Georgian: მილევა German: verringern German: vermindern German: abschwächen German: reduzieren German: abmagern German: dämpfen German: verkleinern Romanian: atenua Serbo-Croatian: smanjiti Spanish: atenuar Swedish: minska Swedish: förminska Swedish: försvaga
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