Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “attenuate” come from?

Attenuate comes from Latin attenuare, formed from the prefix ad- meaning "to" and a root from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- meaning "to eat" or "go."

attenuate (English): To reduce in size, force, value, amount, or...

Definitions

  1. To reduce in size, force, value, amount, or...

Ancestry of “attenuate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinattenuatusthinned, reduced, attenuated; weakened,...
2LatinattenuoI make thin, attenuate, thin, reduce; I make...
3Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
4Latinīn-—
5Latinîn—
6Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
7Proto-Italicenin
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “attenuate”

  • attenuator
  • attenuative
  • attenuateth
  • nonattenuative
  • deattenuate
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →