Attenuation

[Fr. atténuation; from Lat. attenu atio.] The act of attenuating, emaciating, or making thin; thinne ; slenderne ; leanne . The act of comminuting; act of attrition; pulverization; as, the attenu ation of those rocks. (Chem.) In brewing and distillation, it is applied to the thinning or weakening of saccharine worts during fermentation, by the conversion of the sugar into alcohol and carbonic acid. It is usual to speak of so many degrees of attenuation , indicating the decrease of specific gravity by the fer in ent at i on. ( Med .) Thinne : emaciation. A term used by the homœopathists, in the sense of dilution or division of remedies into infinitesimal doses,