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attenuation

 - 6 dictionary results

at⋅ten⋅u⋅a⋅tion

  [uh-ten-yoo-ey-shuhn]
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–noun
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.
3. Physics. a decrease in a property, as energy, per unit area of a wave or a beam of particles, occurring as the distance from the source increases as a result of absorption, scattering, spreading in three dimensions, etc.
Origin:
1585–95; (< MF) < L attenuātiōn- (s. of attenuātiō). See attenuate, -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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at·ten·u·ate   (ə-těn'yōō-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.   (-yōō-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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: at·ten·u·a·tion
Pronunciation: &-"ten-yu-'wA-sh&n
Function: noun
: a lessening of the amount, force, or magnitude of something; specifically : a weakening of the connection between an illegal police procedure and the evidence obtained by it such that the evidence is admissible at trial as an exception to the exclusionary rule
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: at·ten·u·a·tion
Pronunciation: &-"ten-y&-'wA-sh&n
Function: noun
: a decrease in the pathogenicity orvitality of a microorganism or in the severity of a disease
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

attenuation at·ten·u·a·tion (ə-těn'y&oomacr;-ā'shən)
n.

  1. A dilution, thinning, or weakening of a substance, especially a reduction in the virulence of a pathogen through repeated inoculation, growth in a different culture medium, or exposure to heat, light, air or other weakening agents.

  2. The energy loss of an ultrasonic beam as it passes through a material.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

attenuation communications
The progressive reduction in amplitude of a signal as it travels farther from the point of origin.
For example, an electric signal's amplitude reduces with distance due to electrical impedance. Attenuation is usually measured in decibels [per metre?].
Attenuation does not imply appreciable modification of the shape of the waveform (distortion), though as the signal amplitude falls the signal-to-noise ratio will also fall unless the channel itself is noise free or the signal is amplified at some intermediate point(s) along the channel.
["Networking Essentials, second edition", Microsoft Corporation, pub. Microsoft Press 1997].
(2003-07-29)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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