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Added 9 October 2026

attenuate

/əˈtɛn.juˌeɪt/ verb

Latin root: attenuātus First recorded: 1530 Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about attenuate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance).
Become weaker, in strength, value, or magnitude.

adjective

Reduced in strength.
the faded tones of an old recording

Origin

The verb is 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).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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