| 释义 |
at·ten·u·ate
I. \əˈtenyəˌwāt also aˈ-; usu -ād.+V\ verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Latin attenuatus, past participle of attenuare to make thin, from ad- + tenuare to make thin, from tenuis thin — more at thin
transitive verb
1. : to make thin or slender (as by mechanical or chemical action)
< glass … may be attenuated into the finest of fibers — M.F.Brooke >
2. : to lessen the amount, force, or value of : make less complex : weaken
< he refuses to attenuate human life — Hardin Craig >
< a cloudburst will attenuate UFH signals — RCA Review >
3. : to reduce the severity of (a disease) or the virulence or vitality of (a pathogenic agent)
4. archaic : to break into finer parts (as the humors of the body)
5. : to make thin in consistency : render less viscid or dense : rarefy
< attenuate oil by heating it >
intransitive verb
: to become thin, fine, or less : lessen
< the vividness of a memory attenuates with time >
Synonyms: see thin
II. \-yəwə̇t, -ˌwāt, usu -d.+V\ adjective
Etymology: Latin attenuatus
1. : attenuated especially in thickness, density, or force : slender, thin
< the attenuate limbs of a starving person >
2. botany : tapering gradually often into a long slender point
< narrow attenuate leaves >
3. : thin in consistency : rarefied, fine, refined
< an attenuate kind of beauty > |