[f. L. extenuāt- ppl. stem of extenuāre, f. ex- (see EX- pref.1) + tenuis thin. Cf. F. exténuer.]
I. To make thin, slender or weak.
1. trans. To make (the body, flesh, a person) thin or lean; to render emaciated or shrunken. Somewhat arch.
1533. Elyot, Cast. Helthe, III. xii. (1541), 66. Sorowe … dothe extenuate or make the body leane.
1650. H. Brooke, Conserv. Health, 160. They that are fat may exercise ad Sudorem … and that will extenuate them.
1669. Woodhead, St. Teresa, II. 282. The Flesh is extenuated every day more and more.
1717. J. Keill, Anim. Oecon. (1738), 292. Bodies … which are extenuated by Hunger, [etc.].
1824. Southey, Bk. of Ch. (1841), 182. It was deemed meritorious … to extenuate it [the body] by fasting.
1862. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt., IX. vii. Extenuated with fatigues.
1887. Lecky, Eng. in 18th C., V. xx. 385. Peasants were so extenuated by hunger that they could scarcely hold the spade.
† 2. To draw out to thinness; to beat (metal) into thin plates. Obs.
1599. Hakluyt, Voy., II. II. 90. The Chinians can very cunningly beate and extenuate gold into plates and leaues.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turkes (1610), 537. The straitnesse of the waies enforced the Turks to extenuat their rankes.
1655. W. F., Meteors, 164. Gold … extenuated as fine as the threds in the Spiders web.
1681. Grew, Musæum, I. V. 85. His [the Sawfish’s] Trunk or Body behind his Head, becomes … broad…; from whence it is again extenuated all the way to the end of his Tail.
¶ To stretch out; also intr. ? Confused with extend.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. Abus. (1877), 54. Rather abbreuiat oure dayes by manye yeres, than extenuate our liues one minut of an houre.
1601. Chester, Love’s Mart., vi. (1878), 81. The plaines … Whose fertill bounds farre doth extenuate.
3. To thin out in consistency, render less dense.
1559. Morwyng, Evomym., 1. Moist thinges put into a body … by the force of heate are extenuated into a vapour.
1601. Holland, Pliny (1634), I. 431. To extenuate that grosse substance into which the Oliue had turned the … iuice and humor.
1638. G. Sandys, Job, 46.
| He the congealed vapors melts againe; | |
| Extenuated into drops of Raine. |
1686. Goad, Celest. Bodies, II. xii. 322. A misle of Vapour or Fume, may be extenuated into some hundreds [of miles].
1800. Vince, Hydrostat., vii. 81. Accumulating and extenuating the air.
† b. spec. in Med. To render thinner (the humours or concretions of the body, etc.); = ATTENUATE 2 b. Obs.
1563. T. Hyll, Arte Garden. (1593), 71. The seeds doe extenuate and diminishe the clammy and grosse humours.
1610. Markham, Masterp., II. clxxiii. 487. Cardimonium is hote; it extenuateth humors.
absol. 1533. Elyot, Cast. Helthe (1541), 27 a. Almondes do extenuate and clense.
1608. Topsell, Serpents, 45. Those medicines … which do extenuate.
† c. To thin out (the hair, eyebrows, etc.). Obs.
1585. Lloyd, Treas. Health, B j. Want of theyr humours doth extenuat the same [hair].
1661. Lovell, Hist. Anim. & Min., 24. It [the fat] extenuateth the eyebrows.
4. † a. To diminish in size, number or amount; to reduce to meager dimensions. Obs.
1555. Eden, Decades, 273. They prouided for thindempnitie of theyr owne estate by forcible extenuatinge the gooddes and poure of them whom they desired to kepe in subiection.
1630. R. Johnson’s Kingd. & Commw., 22. Small numbers are soone … extenuated by a long warre.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 205. In which Citie is a great Colossus…. To extenuate the bulke of this their Pagod, they place him sitting.
1647. Sprigge, Anglia Rediv., III. v. (1854), 164. [They] were reduced to so much lesser number; and were yet further extenuated.
† b. To lessen (a quality, etc.) in degree; to weaken the force of (a blow), mitigate (a law). Obs.
1561. T. Norton, Calvin’s Inst., II. 90. We do obscure and extenuate it [God’s grace] with our vnthankfulnesse.
1590. Shaks., Mids. N., I. i. 120. Else the Law of Athens yeelds you vp (Which by no meanes we may extenuate) To death.
1598. E. Gilpin, Skial. (1878), 45. Some great sicknes … doth … extenuate Thy fraile remembrance.
1643. Prynne, Sov. Power Parl., App. 161–2. Kings cannot by Law change or extenuate Laws.
1672. Sir T. Browne, Lett. to Friend, vi. (1881), 130. Besides his soft Death, the incurable state of his Disease might somewhat extenuate your Sorrow.
1744. Shenstone, Wks. & Lett. (1777), III. 100. No time shall extenuate our mutual friendship.
1773. J. Ross, Fratricide (MS.), IV. 53. A heaviness … Extenuates my strength.
II. To lessen in representation.
† 5. ‘To diminish in honour’ (J.), depreciate, disparage (a person, his actions or attributes). Obs.
1601. Weever, Mirr. Mart., C iij b. Extenuate no more worth’s matchlesse deedes.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., I. ii. § 3. C 1 b. It hath beene ordinarie … to extenuate and disable learned men by the names of Pedantes.
1667. Milton, P. L., X. 645. Just are thy ways … Who can extenuate thee?
1705. Stanhope, Paraphr., II. 380. The Reply he made, extenuates the One, when put into the Ballance with the Other.
6. To estimate or state at a low figure; to disparage the magnitude or importance of; to underrate, make light of. Somewhat arch.
1529. More, Dyaloge, III. Wks. 1218/1. With wordes and reasoning, to extenuate and minysh the vygour and asperite of the paynes.
1553. T. Wilson, Rhet., 58 b. In accusyng any persone it is best … whereas anythyng semeth to make for hym to extenuate the same to the outermoste.
1607. Norden, Surv. Dial., 34. The feare of this maketh the Tenants to extenuate the values.
1625–8. trans. Camden’s Hist. Eliz., IV. (1675), 626. Cuffe extenuated both the Danger and Difficulty.
1658. Sir T. Browne, Hydriot., iv. 64–5. Nor can we extenuate the valour of ancient Martyrs.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, VII. xi. Every man seemed wholly bent to extenuate the sum which fell to his share.
1832. Lyell, Princ. Geol., II. 288. Extenuating the comparative magnitude of coral limestones.
1882. Seeley, Nat. Relig., II. i. 128. Christianity has never altogether denied, but only extenuated the claims of Art and Science.
7. esp. To underrate, treat as of trifling magnitude (guilt, faults, crimes). Hence, in later use: To lessen, or seek to lessen, the seeming magnitude of (guilt or offence) by partial excuses. Also of circumstances: To serve as an extenuation of.
1570. T. Norton, trans. Nowell’s Catech. (1853), 149. Let no man extenuate the most heinous offence of man as a small trespass.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., II. xxvii. 154. None that can Excuse (though some of them may Extenuate) a Crime.
1693. Congreve, Juv., xi. 295. Fortune, there, extenuates the Crime. What’s Vice in me, is only Mirth in him.
1840. Macaulay, Clive, 93. The same sense of justice … forbids us to conceal or extenuate the faults of his earlier days.
1872. Morley, Voltaire (1886), 160. A baseness that we ought never to pardon and never to extenuate.
¶ b. Improperly used for: To extenuate the guilt of; to plead partial excuses for.
1741. C. Middleton, Cicero, II. VIII. 141. Pompey’s fate would extenuate the omission of that step.
1791. Mrs. Radcliffe, Rom. Forest, x. She … endeavoured to extenuate the conduct of Madame La Motte.
1811. Lamb, Immod. Indulg. Palate, Wks. (1889), 635. He thought it necessary to extenuate the length of time he kept the dinner on the table.
1860. All Y. Round, No. 67. 404. The purser’s steward … extenuated himself calmly enough.
