GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English
last match results
Found 3 definitions
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Attenuate , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attenuated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Attenuating .] [L. attenuatus, p. p. of attenuare; ad + tenuare to make thin, tenuis thin. See Thin.]
- To make thin or slender, as by mechanical or chemical action upon inanimate objects, or by the effects of starvation, disease, etc., upon living bodies.1913 Webster
- To make thin or less consistent; to render less viscid or dense; to rarefy. Specifically: To subtilize, as the humors of the body, or to break them into finer parts.1913 Webster
- To lessen the amount, force, or value of; to make less complex; to weaken.1913 Webster
To undersell our rivals . . . has led the manufacturer to . . . attenuate his processes, in the allotment of tasks, to an extreme point.
I. Taylor.1913 WebsterWe may reject and reject till we attenuate history into sapless meagerness.
Sir F. Palgrave.1913 Webster
- To make thin or slender, as by mechanical or chemical action upon inanimate objects, or by the effects of starvation, disease, etc., upon living bodies.
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Attenuate, v. i. To become thin, slender, or fine; to grow less; to lessen.1913 Webster
The attention attenuates as its sphere contracts.
Coleridge.1913 Webster -
{ Attenuate , Attenuated , } a. [L. attenuatus, p. p.]
- Made thin or slender.1913 Webster
- Made thin or less viscid; rarefied.Bacon.1913 Webster
- Made thin or slender.