extenuation

[ ik-sten-yoo-ey-shuhn ]

/ ɪkˌstɛn yuˈeɪ ʃən /

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noun

the act of extenuating.

the state of being extenuated.

something that extenuates; a partial excuse: The youth of the defendant served as an extenuation.

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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

Origin of extenuation

1375–1425; late Middle English extenuacioun<Latin extenuātiōn- (stem of extenuātiō). See extenuate, -ion

The other acknowledged the fact with some degree of reluctance, and explained, with many "buts" as an excuse in extenuation.
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States|Martin R. Delany
In such case the defendant was empowered to plead the facts in extenuation, and also to pay money into court by way of amends.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
The object of this examination grinned a faint grin of extenuation.
From Place to Place|Irvin S. Cobb
But this does injustice to these marauders of the sea, who put in a plea of extenuation.
The Battle of New Orleans|Zachary F. Smith

Their delinquency, it is true, does not cancel hers, but it offers some slight degree of extenuation.
The Sheepfold and the Common, Vol. II (of 2)|Timothy East