attenuate
8 dictionary results for: attenuate
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
at·ten·u·ate 
[v. uh-ten-yoo-eyt; adj. uh-ten-yoo-it, -eyt] Pronunciation Key verb, -at·ed, -at·ing, adjective
[v. uh-ten-yoo-eyt; adj. uh-ten-yoo-it, -eyt] Pronunciation Key verb, -at·ed, -at·ing, adjective –verb (used with object)
–verb (used without object)
–adjective
| 1. | to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity, or value: to attenuate desire. |
| 2. | to make thin; make slender or fine. |
| 3. | Bacteriology, Immunology. to render less virulent, as a strain of pathogenic virus or bacterium. |
| 4. | Electronics. to decrease the amplitude of (an electronic signal). |
| 5. | to become thin or fine; lessen. |
| 6. | weakened; diminishing. |
| 7. | Botany. tapering gradually to a narrow extremity. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| at·ten·u·ate
(ə-těn'yōō-āt') Pronunciation Key
v. at·ten·u·at·ed, at·ten·u·at·ing, at·ten·u·ates v. tr.
v. intr. To become thin, weak, or fine. adj. (-yōō-ĭt)
[Latin attenuāre, attenuāt- : ad-, ad- + tenuāre, to make thin (from tenuis, thin; see ten- in Indo-European roots).] at·ten'u·a'tion n. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
attenuate (v.)
attenuate (v.)
1530, from L. attenuatus, pp. of attenuare "to make thin," from ad- "to" + tenuare "make thin," from tenuis "thin" (see tenet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| attenuate | |
adjective | |
| 1. | reduced in strength; "the faded tones of an old recording" |
verb | |
| 1. | weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance) [syn: rarefy] |
| 2. | become weaker, in strength, value, or magnitude |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Reduced or weakened, as in strength, value, or virulence.
attenuate at·ten·u·ate (ə-těn'y&oomacr;-āt')
v. at·ten·u·at·ed, at·ten·u·at·ing, at·ten·u·ates
- To reduce in force, value, amount, or degree; weaken; diminish.
- To make bacteria or viruses less virulent.
Reduced or weakened, as in strength, value, or virulence.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Attenuate
At*ten"u*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attenuated; p. pr. & vb. n. Attenuating.] [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.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Attenuate
At*ten"u*ate\, v. i. To become thin, slender, or fine; to grow less; to lessen. The attention attenuates as its sphere contracts. --Coleridge.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Attenuate
At*ten"u*ate\, Attenuated \At*ten"u*a`ted\, a. [L. attenuatus, p. p.]1. Made thin or slender. 2. Made thin or less viscid; rarefied. --Bacon.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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