Attenuate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /əˈtɛn.juˌeɪt/

Definitions

1. To lessen the strength, intensity, or value of something ; to decrease thickness or density in a material or substance
2. To diminish the power or impact of a force or signal ; to cause something to become thinner or more sparse
3. To weaken or reduce the effectiveness, amount, or magnitude ; to taper in thickness or reduce compactness

Etymology: Attenuate is a Latin verb built from "ad-" ("to, towards") and "tenuō" ("to make thin"), which itself comes from "tenuis," meaning "thin." Its literal sense was therefore something close to "to make thin," and English took it over in the early 1530s, while the adjective form followed in the 1620s. The Latin root "tenuis" also gave English "tenuous," so the two words are close relatives that have drifted apart in meaning. The English verb kept the physical picture of thinning for a long time before it settled into its modern sense. Today it usually means to weaken something's force, intensity or effect, as when a filter attenuates a signal or a sound is muffled by distance. The "thin" idea survives in that metaphor: what has been attenuated has been made, in effect, less substantial.

Synonyms: diminish, reduce, weaken, lessen, alleviate

Antonyms: intensify, strengthen, amplify, augment, enhance