ATTENUATE

attenuate, attenuated, faded, weakened

(adjective) reduced in strength; “the faded tones of an old recording”

attenuate

(verb) become weaker, in strength, value, or magnitude

rarefy, attenuate

(verb) weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance)

Source: WordNet® 3.1

---

Etymology

Verb

attenuate (third-person singular simple present attenuates, present participle attenuating, simple past and past participle attenuated)

(transitive) To reduce in size, force, value, amount, or degree.

(transitive) To make thinner, as by physically reshaping, starving, or decaying.

(intransitive) To become thin or fine; to grow less.

(transitive) To weaken.

(transitive) To rarefy.

(transitive, medicine) To reduce the virulence of a bacterium or virus.

(transitive, electronics) To reduce the amplitude of an electrical, radio, or optical signal.

(brewing) (of a beer) To become less dense as a result of the conversion of sugar to alcohol.

Antonyms

• (electronics): amplify

Adjective

attenuate (comparative more attenuate, superlative most attenuate)

(botany, of leaves) Gradually tapering into a petiole-like extension toward the base.

Source: Wiktionary

---

At*ten"u*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attenuated; p. pr. & vb. n. Attenuating.] Etym: [L. attenuatus, p. p. of attenuare; ad + tenuare to make thin, tenuis thin. See Thin.]

1. To make thin or slender, as by mechanical or chemical action upon inanimate objects, or by the effects of starvation, disease, etc., upon living bodies.

2. To make thin or less consistent; to render less viscid or dense; to rarefy. Specifically: To subtilize, as the humors of the body, or to break them into finer parts.

3. To lessen the amount, force, or value of; to make less complex; to weaken. To undersell our rivals . . . has led the manufacturer to . . . attenuate his processes, in the allotment of tasks, to an extreme point. I. Taylor. We may reject and reject till we attenuate history into sapless meagerness. Sir F. Palgrave.

At*ten"u*ate, v. i.

Definition: To become thin, slender, or fine; to grow less; to lessen. The attention attenuates as its sphere contracts. Coleridge.

At*ten"u*ate, At*ten"u*a`ted, a. Etym: [L. attenuatus, p. p.]

1. Made thin or slender.

2. Made thin or less viscid; rarefied. Bacon.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

---

Do you know this game?

Wordscapes is a popular word game consistently in the top charts of both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Android version has more than 10 million installs. This guide will help you get more coins in less than two minutes of playing the game. Continue reading Wordscapes: Get More Coins