extenuate

Adjective

extenuate (comparative more extenuate, superlative most extenuate)

1. (obsolete) Of a person: emaciated, wasted, weakened; of the body or part of it: atrophied, shrunken, withered.
   • It is powerfull in helping extenuat and leane perſons who are troubled with difficultie of drawing their Brath: gives vigour and ſtrength to vithered and debilitat members; […]1618, Patri[c]k Anderson, The Colde Spring of Kinghorne Craig […], Edinburgh: Thomas Finlason, unnumbered page
2. (obsolete) Of a quality or thing: lessened, weakened.
   • And, that ſame Maieſty, vvhich (as the Baſe / And Pedeſtal) ſupports the vvaight and grace, / Greatnes and glory of a vvell-Rul'd State, / It not extinguiſht nor extenuate, / By being parcelliz'd to a plurality / Of petty Kinglings, of a mean Equality: […]1608, [Guillaume de Salluste] Du Bartas, “[Du Bartas His Second Weeke, […]. Abraham. […].] The Captaines. The IIII. Part of the III. Day of the II. Week.”, in Josuah Sylvester, transl., Du Bartas His...
   • VVee repreſent Small Sounds as Great and Deepe; Likevviſe Great Sounds, Extenuate and Sharpe; VVee make diuerſe Tremblings and VVarblings of Sounds, vvhich in their Originall are Entire.1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “New Atlantis. A Worke Vnfinished.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn]...
3. (obsolete) Reduced to poverty; impoverished.

Verb

UK/ɪkˈstɛnjʊeɪt/US/ɪkˈstɛnjəˌweɪt/

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

1. (formal, obsolete, transitive) To make (something) less dense, or thinner; also, to lower the viscosity of (something).
   • Garlyke. It doth extenuate and cutte groſſe humours and ſlymy, diſſolueth groſſe wyndes, and healeth all the body; […] yf it be ſodden vntyll it loſeth his tarteneſſe, it ſomewhat nouryſſheth, and yet looſeth not his propertie, to extenuate groſſe humours: […]153[9], Thomas Elyot, “Herbes Used in Potage or to Eate”, in The Castel of Helth […], London: […] Thomæ Bertheleti […], →OCLC, book II, folio 26, verso
   • [T]hey ſuppoſe an Olive the more grovvne it is in carnoſitie, to be the fuller of oile: vvhereas in very truth, all the good juice in them is converted then into the groſſe and corpulent ſubſtance thereof, […] unleſſe there enſue a drie ſeaſon and faire vveather to extenuate that groſſe ſubſtance...1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XV.] The Natures of Trees that Beare Fruit.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall...
2. (archaic, formal, obsolete, transitive) To make (someone or something) slender or thin; to emaciate, to waste.
   • It was deemed meritorious to disfigure the body by neglect and filth, to extenuate it by fasting and watchfulness, to lacerate it with stripes, and to fret the wounds with cilices of horsehair.1824, Robert Southey, “View of the Papal System”, in The Book of the Church. […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, pages 305–306
   • Mamma's reception of her, just off the long winter journey, and extenuated with fatigues and sickly chagrins, was of the most cutting cruelty: "What do you want here? What is a medicant like you come hither for?"1858, Thomas Carlyle, “Crown-Prince’s Marriage”, in History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great, volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC, book IX, page 465
3. (archaic, formal, obsolete, transitive) To underestimate or understate the importance of (something); to underrate.
   • The Company having novv pretty vvell ſatisfied their Thirſt, nothing remained but to pay the Reckoning, a Circumſtance often productive of much Miſchief and Diſcontent among the inferior Rank of Gentry; vvho are apt to find great Difficulty in aſſeſſing the Sum, vvith exact Regard to diſtributive...1749, Henry Fielding, “The Adventure of a Company of Soldiers”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VII, page 83
   1. (archaic, formal, obsolete, specifically, transitive) To diminish or seek to diminish the extent or severity of (a crime, guilt, a mistake, or something else negative) by making apologies or excuses; to palliate.
      • to extenuate his faults to extenuate their crimes
      • I knovv vvhat you vvould ſay: if I haue knovvne her, / You vvill ſay, ſhe did imbrace me as a husband, / And ſo extenuate the forehand ſinne: No, Leonato, / I never tempted her vvith vvord too large; / But as a brother to his ſiſter, ſhevved / Baſhful ſinceritie, and comelie loue.1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, Much Adoe about Nothing. […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act IV...
4. (formal, obsolete, transitive) To beat or draw (a metal object, etc.) out so as to lessen the thickness.
   • [T]he Chinians can very cunningly beate and extenuate gold into plates and leaues.1599, Duarte de Sande, “An Excellent Treatise of the Kingdome of China, and of the Estate and Gouernment thereof: […]”, in Richard Hakluyt, transl., The Second Volume of the Principal Nauigations...
   • His [the sawfish's] Trunk or Body preſently behind his Head, becomes five inches broad, and about three high; from whence it is again extenuated all the way to the end of his Tail.1681, Nehemiah Grew, “Of Viviperous Fishes”, in Musæum Regalis Societatis. Or A Catalogue & Description of the Natural and Artificial Rarities Belonging to the Royal Society and Preserved at Gresham...
5. (formal, obsolete, transitive) To reduce the quality or quantity of (something); to lessen or weaken the force of (something).
   • Arte amplifieth or extenuateth at occaſion: the reſidue is the liberality of the pen, or the poyſon of the inke: […]1593, Gabriell Haruey [i.e., Gabriel Harvey], Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. A Preparative to Certaine Larger Discourses, Intituled Nashes S. Fame, London: […] Iohn Wolfe...
   • For you, faire Hermia, looke you arme your ſelfe, / To fit your fancies, to your fathers vvill; / Or elſe, the Lavv of Athens yeelds you vp / (VVhich by no meanes vve may extenuate) / To death, or to a vovve of ſingle life.c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, A Midsommer Nights Dreame. […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Thomas Fisher, […], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]

   Synonyms:

   mitigate

   Antonyms:

   aggravate

6. (formal, obsolete, transitive) To degrade (someone); to detract from (someone's qualities, reputation, etc.); to depreciate, to disparage.
   • [I]t hath beene ordinarie vvith politique men to extenuate and diſable learned men by the names of Pedantes: […]1605, Francis Bacon, “The First Booke”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for...
   • Nor can vve extenuate the valour of ancient Martyrs, vvho contemned death in the uncomfortable ſcene of their lives, […]1658, Thomas Browne, “Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall. […]. Chapter IV.”, in Hydriotaphia, Urne-buriall, […] Together with The Garden of Cyrus, […], London: […] Hen[ry] Brome […], →OCLC, pages 64–65