attenuate

== English == === Etymology === The verb if first attested in 1530, the adjective in 1626; borrowed from Latin attenuātus, the perfect passive participle of attenuō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to, towards, at”) + tenuo (“to make thin”), itself from tenuis (“thin”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). === Pronunciation === (UK, US) IPA(key): /əˈtɛn.juˌeɪt/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /əˈten.jʉˌæɪt/ Hyphenation: at‧ten‧u‧ate === Verb === attenuate (third-person singular simple present attenuates, present participle attenuating, simple past and past participle attenuated) (transitive) To reduce in size, force, value, amount, or degree. (transitive) To make thinner, as by physically reshaping, starving, or decaying. (intransitive) To become thin or fine; to grow less. (transitive) To weaken. (transitive) To rarefy. (transitive, medicine) To reduce the virulence of a bacterium or virus. (transitive, electronics) To reduce the amplitude of an electrical, radio, or optical signal. (brewing) (of a beer) To become less dense as a result of the conversion of sugar to alcohol. ==== Synonyms ==== ==== Antonyms ==== (antonym(s) of “electronics”): amplify strengthen intensify ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Adjective === attenuate (comparative more attenuate, superlative most attenuate) Slender, thin. (in consistency) Rarefied, thin, refined. (botany, of leaves) Gradually tapering into a petiole-like extension toward the base. ==== Derived terms ==== subattenuate ==== Translations ==== == Italian == === Etymology 1 === ==== Verb ==== attenuate inflection of attenuare: second-person plural present indicative second-person plural imperative === Etymology 2 === ==== Participle ==== attenuate f pl feminine plural of attenuato == Latin == === Verb === attenuāte second-person plural present active imperative of attenuō