attenuations
|at-ten-u-a-tion-s|
/əˌtɛnjuˈeɪʃənz/
(attenuation)
making thinner / reducing intensity
Etymology
'attenuation' originates from Latin, specifically the Medieval Latin word 'attenuatio', where 'ad-' (later assimilated to 'at-') meant 'to, toward' and 'tenuare' (from 'tenuis') meant 'to make thin or thin'.
'attenuation' changed from Medieval Latin 'attenuatio' into Old French/Anglo-Norman forms and then entered Middle English (e.g. Middle English 'attenuacioun'), eventually becoming modern English 'attenuation'.
Initially, it meant 'the act of making thin or less dense', and over time it broadened to the current meanings of reducing strength, intensity, or virulence in various fields.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a reduction in strength, force, or magnitude.
The attenuations of the drug's effect over time required higher doses.
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Noun 2
in physics and engineering, the gradual loss of signal strength, amplitude, or intensity (e.g., of sound, light, or an electrical signal) as it propagates through a medium.
Engineers measured the attenuations of the radio signal over distance and adjusted the amplifier accordingly.
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Noun 3
in biology and medicine, the process of reducing the virulence or pathogenicity of a microorganism (often used in vaccine development).
The attenuations of certain strains made them suitable candidates for live vaccines.
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Noun 4
in statistics, a reduction in an observed association (e.g., correlation) often caused by measurement error or other bias (sometimes called attenuation bias).
Observed attenuations in correlations can result from measurement error in the variables.
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Last updated: 2025/11/15 16:32