'attenuable' originates from Latin, specifically from the verb 'attenuare', where 'ad-' meant 'to/toward' and 'tenuis' meant 'thin'; the English adjective is formed with the suffix '-able' meaning 'capable of'.

'attenuable' developed from Latin 'attenuare' (past participle 'attenuatus') meaning 'made thin', passed into Late Latin and via Medieval/Modern Latin into English as the verb 'attenuate', and then formed as the adjective 'attenuable' using the suffix '-able'.

Initially, the root sense was 'to make thin' (physical thinning); over time it broadened to include 'to weaken or reduce intensity', which is the common modern sense.