dilute

English

Etymology

From Latin dilutus, from diluere (“to wash away, dissolve, cause to melt, dilute”), from di-, dis- (“away, apart”) + luere (“to wash”). See lave, and compare deluge.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /daɪˈljuːt/

Verb

dilute (third-person singular simple present dilutes, present participle diluting, simple past and past participle diluted)

1. (transitive) To make thinner by adding solvent to a solution; especially by adding water.
   • Blackmore

     Mix their watery store / With the chyle's current, and dilute it more.

2. (transitive) To weaken, especially by adding a foreign substance.
   • Sir Isaac Newton

     Lest these colours should be diluted and weakened by the mixture of any adventitious light.

3. (transitive, stock market) To cause the value of individual shares to decrease by increasing the total number of shares.
4. (intransitive) To become attenuated, thin, or weak.

   it dilutes easily

Translations

to add more of a solvent to a solution; especially to add more water

• Bulgarian: разреждам (bg) (razreždam), разводнявам (bg) (razvodnjavam)
• Czech: ředit (cs), zředit (cs)
• Dutch: verdunnen (nl)
• Finnish: laimentaa (fi), ohentaa (fi)
• French: diluer (fr), couper (fr) (about wine mainly)
• German: verdünnen (de)
• Hebrew: דילל (he) (dilel) m
• Hungarian: hígít (hu)

• Icelandic: þynna (is)
• Japanese: 薄める (ja) (うすめる, usumeru)
• Latin: diluere (la)
• Maori: waimeha (mi)
• Polish: rozcieńczać (pl)
• Portuguese: diluir (pt)
• Russian: разбавлять (ru) (razbavlját') impf., разбавить (ru) (razbávit') pf.
• Serbo-Croatian: razblažiti (sh)
• Swedish: späda ut (sv), tunna ut (sv)

to weaken

• Finnish: laimentaa (fi), heikentää (fi); jatkaa (fi), vesittää (fi) (colloquial)
• German: verwässern (de)
• Hebrew: החליש (he) (hechlish) m
• Icelandic: veikja (is), þynna (is)

• Latin: hebetare (la), affligere (la), deminuere (la)
• Portuguese: diluir (pt)
• Swedish: späda ut (sv), tunna ut (sv)

stock market: to decrease the value of individual shares by increasing the total number of shares

• Finnish: dilutoida (fi), laimentaa (fi)

• Swedish: späda ut (sv)

Adjective

dilute (comparative more dilute, superlative most dilute)

1. Having a low concentration.

   Clean the panel with a dilute, neutral cleaner.

2. Weak; reduced in strength due to dilution, diluted.

Translations

having a low concentration

• Bulgarian: разреден (bg) (razreden)
• Finnish: laimea (fi), mieto (fi)
• French: dilué (fr) m, diluée (fr) f
• Hebrew: מדולל (he) (medulal) m
• Hungarian: híg (hu)

• Icelandic: þynntur (is) m, þynnt (is) f and n
• Latin: dilutus (la)
• Maori: waimeha (mi)
• Polish: rozcieńczony (pl) m
• Russian: разбавленный (ru) (razbavlennyj), разведённый (ru) (razvedjónnyj)

weak

• Finnish: laimennettu (fi), laiha (fi)
• French: faible (fr) m and f
• Hebrew: חלש (he) (chalash) m, דל (he) (dal) m

• Icelandic: veikur (is)
• Latin: imbecillus (la), mollis (la)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: diluire (it)

Related terms

• diluent
• dilutant
• dilution
• diluvium
• dilutable

See also

• Concentration on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Concentration
• dilate

References

• dilute in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• dilute in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

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Latin

Participle

dīlūte

1. vocative masculine singular of dīlūtus