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attenuate

at·ten·u·ate
A a

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [verb uh-ten-yoo-eyt; adjective uh-ten-yoo-it, -eyt]
    • /verb əˈtɛn yuˌeɪt; adjective əˈtɛn yu ɪt, -ˌeɪt/
    • /əˈten.ju.eɪt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [verb uh-ten-yoo-eyt; adjective uh-ten-yoo-it, -eyt]
    • /verb əˈtɛn yuˌeɪt; adjective əˈtɛn yu ɪt, -ˌeɪt/

Definitions of attenuate word

  • verb attenuate To attenuate something means to reduce it or weaken it. 3
  • verb attenuate to weaken or become weak; reduce in size, strength, density, or value 3
  • verb attenuate to make or become thin or fine; extend 3
  • verb attenuate to make (a pathogenic bacterium, virus, etc) less virulent, as by culture in special media or exposure to heat 3
  • adjective attenuate diluted, weakened, slender, or reduced 3
  • adjective attenuate tapering gradually to a point 3

Information block about the term

Origin of attenuate

First appearance:

before 1520
One of the 28% oldest English words
First recorded in 1520-30, attenuate is from the Latin word attenuātus (past participle of attenuāre to thin, reduce). See at-, tenuis, -ate1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Attenuate

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

attenuate popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 73% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

attenuate usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for attenuate

verb attenuate

  • debilitate — If you are debilitated by something such as an illness, it causes your body or mind to become gradually weaker.
  • constrict — If a part of your body, especially your throat, is constricted or if it constricts, something causes it to become narrower.
  • vitiate — to impair the quality of; make faulty; spoil.
  • mitigate — to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate.
  • cripple — A person with a physical disability or a serious permanent injury is sometimes referred to as a cripple.

adjective attenuate

  • weedy — full of or abounding in weeds.
  • sticker — a person or thing that sticks.
  • twig — style; fashion.
  • tenuous — lacking a sound basis, as reasoning; unsubstantiated; weak: a tenuous argument.
  • featherweight — a boxer or other contestant intermediate in weight between a bantamweight and a lightweight, especially a professional boxer weighing up to 126 pounds (57 kg).

Antonyms for attenuate

verb attenuate

  • aid — Aid is money, equipment, or services that are provided for people, countries, or organizations who need them but cannot provide them for themselves.
  • assist — If you assist someone, you help them to do a job or task by doing part of the work for them.
  • increase — to make greater, as in number, size, strength, or quality; augment; add to: to increase taxes.
  • intensify — to make intense or more intense.
  • amplify — If you amplify a sound, you make it louder, usually by using electronic equipment.

Top questions with attenuate

  • what does attenuate mean?
  • what does attenuate mean when describing data signals?
  • what is attenuate?
  • what is the meaning of attenuate?

See also

Matching words

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