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 > |