Search

to weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quant-ty, or value:
to attenuate desire.
to make thin; make slender or fine.
bacteriology, immunology. to render less virulent, as a strain of pathogenic virus or bacterium.
electronics. to decrease the amplitude of (an electronic signal).
to become thin or fine; lessen.
weakened; diminishing.
botany. tapering gradually to a narrow extremity.
contemporary examples

his cropped leather jackets with their dolman sleeves were perfectly proportioned over his attenuated, back-slit skirts.
paris fall 2012 fashion week: are designers bashing women? robin givhan march 1, 2012

we live in an era of shortened attention spans and attenuated half-lives for products, companies, and business models.
microsoft ceo steve ballmer finally out after a 13-year reign daniel gross august 22, 2013

historical examples

the attenuated form, the pale face, and the sunken eyes of his once beautiful child, failed to move his comp-ssion for her.
the lost lady of lone e.d.e.n. southworth

paternal grossness was attenuated by the maternal influence.
the fortune of the rougons emile zola

the shadows on the gr-ss lay lank and attenuated when the folks came back from the pastime rink.
old judge priest irvin s. cobb

the spiritual is the intensity of power; the physical is the attenuated.
s-x=the unknown quant-ty ali nomad

harvey glanced rather contemptuously at the lean, attenuated arm that the other displayed, where he had rolled his cuffs back.
the rival campers afloat ruel perley smith

this kind of beer will have attenuated sufficiently in from 30 to 36 hours.
the american practical brewer and tanner joseph coppinger

pasteurism, pas-tėr′izm, n. the method of inoculation with the attenuated virus of certain diseases, esp.
chambers’s twentieth century dictionary (part 3 of 4: n-r) various

his attenuated back is rounded off with a stoop between the neck and shoulders.
the ink-stain, complete rene bazin

verb (əˈtɛnjʊˌeɪt)
to weaken or become weak; reduce in size, strength, density, or value
to make or become thin or fine; extend
(transitive) to make (a pathogenic bacterium, virus, etc) less virulent, as by culture in special media or exposure to heat
adjective (əˈtɛnjʊɪt; -ˌeɪt)
diluted, weakened, slender, or reduced
(botany) tapering gradually to a point
v.

“to make thin, to make less,” 1520s, from latin attenuatus “enfeebled, weak,” past participle of attenuare “to make thin, lessen, diminish,” from ad- “to” (see ad-) + tenuare “make thin,” from tenuis “thin” (see tenet). related: attenuated; attenuating. earlier was middle english attenuen “to make thin (in consistency),” early 15c.

attenuate at·ten·u·ate (ə-těn’yōō-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.

adj.
reduced or weakened, as in strength, value, or virulence.