extenuating en · ADJ
Etymology
From Latin ex (“to delete, to cross out”) and tenuatus, past participle of tenuare (“to make thin”) + Middle English -ing. By surface analysis, ex- + tenuate + -ing.
Meanings
-
That attenuates or lessens the seriousness of something, e.g. by providing a mitigating excuse for it.
In the instant case, testimony has been offered that there were extenuating circumstances which might have made it impossible for the Hospital to comply with the time limit (Union office closed on April 4, 1974, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day March).
1976, Harry N. Casselman, “Case No. 7”, in Earl R. Baderschneider, Paul F. Miller, editors, Labor Arbitration in Health Care: A Case Book, New York: Spectrum Publications, Inc., →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 44:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more extenuating | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most extenuating | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
extenuatingly · unextenuating · extenuating circumstance · nonextenuating
Translations (5)
es atenuante (Translations) · es extenuador (Translations) · nl verzachtend (Translations) · es extenuante (Translations) · fr atténuant (Translations)