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attenuate
[ verb uh-ten-yoo-eyt; adjective uh-ten-yoo-it, -eyt ]
/ verb əˈtɛn yuˌeɪt; adjective əˈtɛn yu ɪt, -ˌeɪt /
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Definition of attenuate
verb (used with object), at·ten·u·at·ed, at·ten·u·at·ing.
verb (used without object), at·ten·u·at·ed, at·ten·u·at·ing.
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
weakened; diminishing.
Botany. tapering gradually to a narrow extremity.
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Origin of attenuate
OTHER WORDS FROM attenuate
o·ver·at·ten·u·ate, verb (used with object), o·ver·at·ten·u·at·ed, o·ver·at·ten·u·at·ing.sub·at·ten·u·ate, adjectiveWords nearby attenuate
attention line, attention span, attentive, attentively, attenuant, attenuate, attenuated, attenuated virus, attenuation, attenuator, attercop
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use attenuate in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for attenuate
attenuate
verb (əˈtɛnjʊˌeɪt)
to weaken or become weak; reduce in size, strength, density, or value
to make or become thin or fine; extend
(tr) to make (a pathogenic bacterium, virus, etc) less virulent, as by culture in special media or exposure to heat
adjective (əˈtɛnjʊɪt, -ˌeɪt)
diluted, weakened, slender, or reduced
botany tapering gradually to a point
Word Origin for attenuate
C16: from Latin attenuāre to weaken, from tenuis thin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for attenuate
attenuate
[ ə-tĕn′yōō-āt′ ]
v.
To reduce in force, value, amount, or degree; weaken; diminish.
To make bacteria or viruses less virulent.
adj.
Reduced or weakened, as in strength, value, or virulence.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.