attenuate

American  

[uh-ten-yoo-eyt, uh-ten-yoo-it, -eyt] / əˈtɛn yuˌeɪt, əˈtɛn yu ɪt, -ˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

attenuated, attenuating

1. to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value.

   to attenuate desire.

2. to make thin; make slender or fine.

3. Bacteriology, Immunology. to render less virulent, as a strain of pathogenic virus or bacterium.

4. Electronics. to decrease the amplitude of (an electronic signal).

   A splitter will attenuate your output.

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verb (used without object)

attenuated, attenuating

1. to become thin, fine, or weak; lessen.

   Over the years, my anger at my family attenuated and I was able to acknowledge the strengths they had given me.

adjective

1. weakened; diminishing.

2. Botany. tapering gradually to a narrow extremity.

attenuate British  

verb

1. to weaken or become weak; reduce in size, strength, density, or value

2. to make or become thin or fine; extend

3. (tr) to make (a pathogenic bacterium, virus, etc) less virulent, as by culture in special media or exposure to heat

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adjective

1. diluted, weakened, slender, or reduced

2. botany tapering gradually to a point

Other Word Forms

• overattenuate
  verb (used with object)
• subattenuate
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of attenuate

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin attenuātus (past participle of attenuāre “to make thin, reduce”); see at-, tenuis, -ate ¹

Explanation

Attenuate is a verb that means to make or become weaker. The effects of aging may be attenuated by exercise — or by drinking from the fountain of youth. The versatile word attenuate denotes a weakening in amount, intensity, or value. As a verb, attenuate is usually transitive, meaning it needs an object to be complete, such as in the sentence: "This tanning process tends to attenuate the deer hide, making it softer." The word can be intransitive in past tense, as in "The rain attenuated, ending the storm." And it can even be used as an adjective to describe something weakened: "Even an attenuated solution will remove the stain."

Example Sentences

Attenuate, at-ten′ū-āt, v.t. to make thin or lean: to break down into finer parts: to reduce in density: reduce in strength or value, simplify.—v.i. to become thin or fine: to grow less.—n.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

"Why is thy writing thus," my lover said to me, "Attenuate and      small, uneath to read and ill?"

From The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume II by Payne, John

Related Words

• decrease
• diminish
• lessen
• vitiate
• weaken