attenuate
attenuate Lexical Profile
attenuate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To reduce the force, effect, value, or magnitude of something, or to become weaker or less intense (especially of an electrical signal, sound wave, or physical force).
"Thick acoustic panels were installed along the studio walls to attenuate the exterior traffic noise."
To reduce the virulence or pathogenicity of a virus or bacterium for use in a vaccine.
"Researchers managed to attenuate the live virus in the laboratory so it could safely trigger an immune response without causing illness."
To make or become physically thin, slender, or less dense.
"The glassblower carefully heated and pulled the molten rod to attenuate it into a delicate filament."
• adjective
Gradually tapering toward a slender point or base, especially of a leaf or botanical structure.
"The botanist identified the specimen by its long, attenuate leaves that narrowed smoothly toward the stem."
Reduced in thickness, density, or force; rarefied or weakened.
"In the high mountain pass, the climbers struggled to breathe the cold, attenuate air."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a verb, 'attenuate' is pronounced with a long 'a' sound at the end (/əˈtɛnjueɪt/), whereas the less common adjective form is typically pronounced with a reduced vowel (/əˈtɛnjuɪt/). In modern English, the participial adjective 'attenuated' is far more common than 'attenuate' in general contexts, while the bare adjective 'attenuate' is largely restricted to botany and mycology.
• Rhymes for attenuate
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 16th century from Latin 'attenuatus', the past participle of 'attenuare' (to make thin or weaken), formed from the prefix 'ad-' (to) and 'tenuis' (thin or slender).