extenuate

English

Etymology

From Latin extenuatus, past participle of extenuare (“to make thin, loosen, weaken”) from ex (“out”) + tenuare (“to make thin”), from tenuis (“thin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪkˈstɛnjueɪt/

• Audio (US)

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Verb

extenuate (third-person singular simple present extenuates, present participle extenuating, simple past and past participle extenuated)

1. (transitive) To make thin or slender; to draw out so as to lessen the thickness.
2. (intransitive) To become thinner.
3. (transitive) To lessen; to palliate; to lessen or weaken the force of; to diminish the conception of, as crime, guilt, faults, ills, accusations, etc.; -- opposed to aggravate.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 4 Scene 1

     CLAUDIO. I know what you would say: if I have known her,

     You'll say she did embrace me as a husband,

     And so extenuate the 'forehand sin: No, Leonato,

     I never tempted her with word too large;

     But, as a brother to his sister, show'd

     Bashful sincerity and comely love.

4. (obsolete) To lower or degrade; to detract from.

Translations

make thin or slender

• Bulgarian: изтънявам (bg) (iztǎnjavam) 

• Dutch: verdunnen (nl)

lessen; palliate

• Bulgarian: смекчавам (bg) (smekčavam) 
• Dutch: verminderen (nl)
• Norwegian: formilde (no)

• Russian: смягчать (ru) (smjagčjátʼ) n , уменьшать (ru) (umenʼšátʼ) n , умерять (ru) (umerjátʼ) n 

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.

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Latin

Verb

extenuāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of extenuō