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attenuation

[ uh-ten-yoo-ey-shuhn ]
/ əˌtɛn yuˈeɪ ʃən /
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noun
the act of attenuating or the state of being attenuated.
the process by which a virus, bacterium, etc., changes under laboratory conditions to become harmless or less virulent.
Physics. a decrease in a property, as energy, per unit area of a wave or a beam of particles, occurring as the distance from the source increases as a result of absorption, scattering, spreading in three dimensions, etc.
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Origin of attenuation

1585–95; (<Middle French ) <Latin attenuātiōn- (stem of attenuātiō). See attenuate, -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM attenuation

sub·at·ten·u·a·tion, noun

Words nearby attenuation

attentively, attenuant, attenuate, attenuated, attenuated virus, attenuation, attenuator, attercop, attest, attestation, attested
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to attenuation

devitalization, enfeeblement, weakness, depletion, impoverishment, fading, exhaustion, weakening

How to use attenuation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for attenuation

attenuation
/ (əˌtɛnjʊˈeɪʃən) /
noun
the act of attenuating or the state of being attenuated
the loss of energy suffered by radiation as it passes through matter, esp as a result of absorption or scattering
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for attenuation

attenuation
[ ə-tĕn′yōō-ā′shən ]
n.
A dilution, thinning, or weakening of a substance, especially a reduction in the virulence of a pathogen through repeated inoculation, growth in a different culture medium, or exposure to heat, light, air, or other weakening agents.
The energy loss of an ultrasonic beam as it passes through a material.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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