ATTENUATING

Verb

attenuating

present participle of attenuate

Source: Wiktionary


ATTENUATE

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



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Word of the Day

20 April 2025

SALAD

(noun) food mixtures either arranged on a plate or tossed and served with a moist dressing; usually consisting of or including greens


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee press is 230 cm (7 ft 6 in) in height and 72 cm (2 ft 4 in) in diameter and was created by Salzillo Tea and Coffee (Spain) in Murcia, Spain, in February 2007. The cafetière consists of a stainless steel container, a filtering piston, and a superior lid.

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