attenuate

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at·ten·u·ate

 (ə-tĕn′yo͞o-āt′)
v. at·ten·u·at·ed, at·ten·u·at·ing, at·ten·u·ates
v.tr.
1. To make slender, fine, or small: The drought attenuated the river to a narrow channel.
2. To reduce in force, value, amount, or degree; weaken: Medicine attenuated the fever's effect.
3. To lessen the density of; rarefy.
4. Biology To make (bacteria or viruses) less virulent.
5. Electronics To reduce (the amplitude of an electrical signal) with little or no distortion.
v.intr.
To become thin, weak, or fine.
adj. (-yo͞o-ĭt)
1. Reduced or weakened, as in strength, value, or virulence.
2. Botany Gradually tapering to a slender point.

[Latin attenuāre, attenuāt- : ad-, ad- + tenuāre, to make thin (from tenuis, thin; see ten- in Indo-European roots).]

at·ten′u·a′tion n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

attenuate

vb
1. to weaken or become weak; reduce in size, strength, density, or value
2. to make or become thin or fine; extend
3. (Microbiology) (tr) to make (a pathogenic bacterium, virus, etc) less virulent, as by culture in special media or exposure to heat
adj
4. diluted, weakened, slender, or reduced
5. (Botany) botany tapering gradually to a point
[C16: from Latin attenuāre to weaken, from tenuis thin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

at•ten•u•ate

(v. əˈtɛn yuˌeɪt; adj. -ɪt, -ˌeɪt)

v. -at•ed, -at•ing,
adj. v.t.
1. to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value: to attenuate desire.
2. to make thin; make slender or fine.
3. to render less virulent, as a strain of pathogenic virus or bacterium.
4. to reduce the amplitude of (an electronic signal) without distortion.
v.i.
5. to become thin or fine; lessen.
adj.
6. weakened; diminishing.
7. Bot. tapering gradually to a narrow extremity.
[1520–30; < Latin attenuātus, past participle of attenuāre to thin, reduce. See at-, tenuis, -ate1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

attenuate


Past participle: attenuated
Gerund: attenuating

Imperative
attenuate
attenuate
Present
I attenuate
you attenuate
he/she/it attenuates
we attenuate
you attenuate
they attenuate
Preterite
I attenuated
you attenuated
he/she/it attenuated
we attenuated
you attenuated
they attenuated
Present Continuous
I am attenuating
you are attenuating
he/she/it is attenuating
we are attenuating
you are attenuating
they are attenuating
Present Perfect
I have attenuated
you have attenuated
he/she/it has attenuated
we have attenuated
you have attenuated
they have attenuated
Past Continuous
I was attenuating
you were attenuating
he/she/it was attenuating
we were attenuating
you were attenuating
they were attenuating
Past Perfect
I had attenuated
you had attenuated
he/she/it had attenuated
we had attenuated
you had attenuated
they had attenuated
Future
I will attenuate
you will attenuate
he/she/it will attenuate
we will attenuate
you will attenuate
they will attenuate
Future Perfect
I will have attenuated
you will have attenuated
he/she/it will have attenuated
we will have attenuated
you will have attenuated
they will have attenuated
Future Continuous
I will be attenuating
you will be attenuating
he/she/it will be attenuating
we will be attenuating
you will be attenuating
they will be attenuating
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been attenuating
you have been attenuating
he/she/it has been attenuating
we have been attenuating
you have been attenuating
they have been attenuating
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been attenuating
you will have been attenuating
he/she/it will have been attenuating
we will have been attenuating
you will have been attenuating
they will have been attenuating
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been attenuating
you had been attenuating
he/she/it had been attenuating
we had been attenuating
you had been attenuating
they had been attenuating
Conditional
I would attenuate
you would attenuate
he/she/it would attenuate
we would attenuate
you would attenuate
they would attenuate
Past Conditional
I would have attenuated
you would have attenuated
he/she/it would have attenuated
we would have attenuated
you would have attenuated
they would have attenuated
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.attenuate - weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance)
chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions
weaken - lessen the strength of; "The fever weakened his body"
2.attenuate - become weaker, in strength, value, or magnitude
weaken - become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days"
refine - attenuate or reduce in vigor, strength, or validity by polishing or purifying; "many valuable nutrients are refined out of the foods in our modern diet"
Adj.1.attenuate - reduced in strength; "the faded tones of an old recording"
decreased, reduced - made less in size or amount or degree
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

attenuate

verb weaken, reduce, contract, lower, diminish, decrease, dilute, lessen, sap, water down, adulterate, enfeeble, enervate, devaluate Preparation and training can attenuate risk.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

attenuate

verb
1. To lessen or deplete the nerve, energy, or strength of:
2. To lessen the strength of by or as if by admixture:
cut, dilute, thin, water (down), weaken.
3. To become diffuse:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

attenuate

[əˈtenjʊeɪt] VTatenuar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

attenuate

[əˈtɛnjueɪt]
vtatténuer
vis'atténuer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

attenuate

vt (= weaken)abschwächen; statement alsoabmildern; gasverdünnen; (= make thinner)dünn machen; attenuating circumstancesmildernde Umstände
vi (= get weaker)schwächer or abgeschwächt werden; (gas)sich verdünnen; (= get thinner)dünner werden
adj (Bot) attenuate leaflanzettförmiges Blatt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

attenuate

[əˈtɛnjʊeɪt] (frm)
1. vtridurre, attenuare
2. viattenuarsi
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in periodicals archive ?
Data l'impronta che si e intesa dare al volume, che si pone a fondamento di una nuova metodologia di indagine della cultura moderna e contemporanea a Napoli, si potranno registrare in alcuni contributi delle spinte in avanti nella ricerca che non si sono pero volute attenuare proprio al fine di consentire l'esordio di nuove interpretazioni.
La preghiera, il digiuno e, soprattutto, Pelemosina o Pesercizio della misericordia e delia pieta contribuiscono ad attenuare o stemperare la durezza delle punizioni.
E questo spiega che non sempre i conti tornino, e si capisce perche la riscrittura di certi eventi o dati fatta anni piu tardi imponga ritocchi per attenuare affermazioni, per cercare di omologarle, per giustificare prese di posizioni del passato ma non piu attuali (e il caso con Cola di Rienzo).
Se di una crisi del positivismo giuridico si puo parlare, questa nasce all'interno stesso della dottrina, di fronte alla quale non si erge piu un nuovo o rinnovato giusnaturalismo, ma se mai si affaccia una nuova concezione del diritto positivo, costretto per il mutamento dei modi di produzione del diritto ad abbandonare o attenuare alcune delle tesi piu tipiche, trasformatesi in dogmi, come quelle dell'onnipotenza del legislatore, dell'unita, completezza, coerenza dell'ordinamento, della validita formale delle norme, della imperativita e coattivita del diritto.
La "tragedia scura", come e definita al penultimo verso, si chiude non senza alcune apparenti contraddizioni, motivate dalla novita stilistica e teorica dell'operazione di Cammelli, dalla difficolta di proporre un testo simile a un pubblico di corte e di attenuare possibili riferimenti troppo radicali e severi: il lessico non si mantiene sempre uniforme, ma ricorre non di rado a proverbi, frasi gnomiche, espressioni quotidiane tipiche della commedia; (43) invece, dall'impianto diegetico e ideologico emergono personaggi ora colpevoli e negativi, ora riabilitati tramite rettifiche e correzioni.