attenuation
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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.
attenuation
(əˌtɛnjʊˈeɪʃən)n
1. the act of attenuating or the state of being attenuated
2. (General Physics) the loss of energy suffered by radiation as it passes through matter, esp as a result of absorption or scattering
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
at•ten•u•a•tion
(əˌtɛn yuˈeɪ ʃən)n.
1. the act of attenuating or the state of being attenuated.
2. the process by which a virus, bacterium, etc., changes under laboratory conditions to become harmless or less virulent.
[1585–95; (< Middle French) < Latin]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
attenuation
1. Decrease in intensity of a signal, beam, or wave as a result of absorption of energy and of scattering out of the path of a detector, but not including the reduction due to geometric spreading, i.e., the inverse square of distance effect.
2. In mine warfare, the reduction in intensity of an influence as distance from the source increases.
3. In camouflage and concealment, the process of making an object or surface less conspicuous by reducing its contrast to the surroundings and/or background. Also called tone down.
2. In mine warfare, the reduction in intensity of an influence as distance from the source increases.
3. In camouflage and concealment, the process of making an object or surface less conspicuous by reducing its contrast to the surroundings and/or background. Also called tone down.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. | attenuation - weakening in force or intensity; "attenuation in the volume of the sound" weakening - becoming weaker |
| 2. | attenuation - the property of something that has been weakened or reduced in thickness or density weakness - the property of lacking physical or mental strength; liability to failure under pressure or stress or strain; "his weakness increased as he became older"; "the weakness of the span was overlooked until it collapsed" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
attenuation
nounThe depletion or sapping of strength or energy:
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
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
attenuation
n (= weakening) → Abschwächen nt, → Abschwächung f; (of statement also) → Abmildern nt, → Abmilderung f; (= making thinner) → Verdünnung f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
at·ten·u·a·tion
n. atenuación, acto de disminución, esp. de una virulencia.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012