Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “extenuating” come from?

Extenuating derives from Latin extenuāre, meaning to make thin or weaken, formed from ex- and tenuāre, itself from tenuo meaning to thin.

extenuating (English): present participle of extenuate; That lessens the...

Definitions

  1. present participle of extenuate; That lessens the...

Ancestry of “extenuating”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle English-ingForms gerunds from verbs, typically referring to...
2Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
3Old English-tūn—
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “extenuating”

  • extenuatingly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →