attenuationn.
/əˌtɛnjuːˈeɪʃən/ The action of attenuating; attenuated condition.
1. The making thin or slender in transverse measure; diminution of thickness; emaciation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > condition of being long in relation to breadth > slenderness > [noun] > making slender
attenuationa1631
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1959) IV. 106 Neither in a superfluous and cumbersome fatness, nor in an uncomely and faint leanness and attenuation.
1859 R. I. Murchison Siluria (new ed.) iii. 63 The omissions of certain deposits in some parts, and their attenuation in others.
1870 B. Disraeli Lothair (new ed.) vi. 20 His stature seemed magnified by the attenuation of his form.
2. The making less dense; diminution of density. spec. in brewing and distilling.
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the world > matter > constitution of matter > lack of density > [noun] > reduction in density
thinningc1000
attenuation1594
the world > food and drink > drink > manufacture of alcoholic drink > brewing > [noun] > degrees of density
attenuation1844
opticity1895
1594 H. Plat Diuerse Sorts of Soyle 40 in Jewell House All those elements doo onely differ in attenuation and condensation.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 159 Heat doth..rarifie that body [i.e. air], and by attenuation..disposeth it for expulsion. View more context for this quotation
1732 J. Arbuthnot Pract. Rules of Diet i. 273 The Attenuation of the Aliment makes it perspirable.
1844 G. Fownes Man. Elem. Chem. 377 The diminished density, or attenuation of the wort.
1882 W. T. Brannt tr. J. E. Thausing Malt & Beer 707 The decrease in density [of the beer-worts] is called attenuation.
1956 New Biol. 21 17 Beers..which are satisfactory in respect of attenuation.
3. The process of weakening, as if by dilution; diminution of characteristic force. spec. of a disease, or of the pathogenicity of a micro-organism. Also attributive.
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the world > health and disease > ill health > [noun] > weakening or decline in health
failinga1382
sickeninga1382
wasting1398
downhielda1400
dissolutionc1400
debilitationa1492
defailing1502
effeeblishing1540
faintingc1540
effeeblishment1545
enervationa1575
feeblishing1574
declining1588
decay1609
flagging1611
labefaction1620
feebling1624
sinking1625
deading1645
dejection1652
fail1654
emperiment1674
decline1770
sapping1825
breakdown1858
attenuation1868
the world > action or operation > manner of action > lack of violence, severity, or intensity > [noun] > making (immaterial things) weak
enervationa1575
watering1604
dilution1646
weakening1651
enervatinga1674
dissolution1684
emaciating1717
enfeeblement1805
dilutement1807
watering1840
attenuation1868
the world > life > biology > organism > micro-organism > [noun] > diminution of pathogenicity of
attenuation1868
1868 M. Pattison Suggestions Acad. Organisation §5. 149 The process by which the results of philosophy are rendered popular is not one of attenuation but of translation.
1882 Manch. Guard. 22 Sept. 5 The gradual ‘attenuation’ of disease germs.
1944 C. D. Darlington in Nature 5 Aug. 167/1 In the attenuation process, the nucleus is mutafacient with respect to the virus.
1964 M. Hynes Med. Bacteriol. (ed. 8) vi. 62 The virulence of a given organism can often be reduced by physical means such as drying or heat. The reduction of virulence is known as attenuation.
4. The decrease in amplitude of an electrical signal or current. Also attributive.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > processes > [noun] > decrease in amplitude
attenuation1887
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electric current > alternating current > [noun] > amplitude > decrease in
attenuation1887
cut-off frequency1926
1887 Heaviside in Electrician 24 June 143/2 The idea of attenuation, expressed in a more roundabout manner in terms such as diminution of amplitude, and so forth, is nothing new; the word ‘attenuation’ I found Lord Rayleigh use, and at once adopted it myself.
1931 B.B.C. Year-bk. 436/2 Attenuation Factor, a factor indicating the rate of reduction in amplitude of an ether wave as the distance from the point of origin increases.
1931 Wireless World 2 Sept. 228/1 The attenuation of the higher modulation frequencies.
1935 Discovery Sept. 278/2 The cut-off or attenuation of television signals, due to intervening obstructions.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1885; most recently modified version published online December 2019).
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