extenuate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   formal: to lessen or try to lessen the seriousness of a fault or offense by offering a partial excuse or mitigating circumstance

   The apology may extenuate the offense, but it does not erase the harm.

2. 2
   verb

   formal: to reduce the force, extent, or effect of something

   The passage of time did little to extenuate the bitterness of the dispute.

Simplified etymology

Extenuate, recorded from the mid-16th century, derives from Latin tenuis, meaning “thin, fine, shallow,” which shares an ancient root with Old English thin.

From Latin extenuare, 'make thin, diminish, or weaken,' from ex- ('out, thoroughly') + tenuis ('thin'). English first used the word for making something slight or less substantial; its chief modern sense applies that reduction metaphorically to the seriousness of a fault or offense.

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External links

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