Part 436

To undersell our rivals . . . has led the manufacturer to . . . attenuate his processes, in the allotment of tasks, to an extreme point. I. Taylor.

We may reject and reject till we attenuate history into sapless meagerness. Sir F. Palgrave.

At*ten"u*ate, v. i. To become thin, slender, or fine; to grow less; to lessen.

The attention attenuates as its sphere contracts. Coleridge.

{ At*ten"u*ate (&?;), At*ten"u*a`ted (&?;), } a. [L. attenuatus, p. p.] 1. Made thin or slender.

2. Made thin or less viscid; rarefied. Bacon.

At*ten`u*a"tion (&?;), n. [L. attenuatio: cf. F. atténuation.] 1. The act or process of making slender, or the state of being slender; emaciation.

2. The act of attenuating; the act of making thin or less dense, or of rarefying, as fluids or gases.

3. The process of weakening in intensity; diminution of virulence; as, the attenuation of virus.

At"ter (&?;), n. [AS. tter.] Poison; venom; corrupt matter from a sore. [Obs.] Holland.

At"ter*cop (&?;), n. [AS. attercoppa a spider; tter poison + coppa head, cup.] 1. A spider. [Obs.]

2. A peevish, ill-natured person. [North of Eng.]

At*ter*rate (&?;), v. t. [It. atterrare (cf. LL. atterrare to cast to earth); L. ad + terra earth, land.] To fill up with alluvial earth. [Obs.] Ray.

At`ter*ra"tion (&?;), n. The act of filling up with earth, or of forming land with alluvial earth. [Obs.]

At"test" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attested; p. pr. & vb. n. Attesting.] [L. attestari; ad + testari to bear witness: cf. F. attester.] 1. To bear witness to; to certify; to affirm to be true or genuine; as, to attest the truth of a writing, a copy of record.

Facts . . . attested by particular pagan authors. Addison.

2. To give proof of; to manifest; as, the ruins of Palmyra attest its ancient magnificence.

3. To call to witness; to invoke. [Archaic]

The sacred streams which Heaven's imperial state Attests in oaths, and fears to violate. Dryden.

At*test", n. Witness; testimony; attestation. [R.]

The attest of eyes and ears. Shak.

At`tes*ta"tion (&?;), n. [L. attestatio: cf. F. attestation.] The act of attesting; testimony; witness; a solemn or official declaration, verbal or written, in support of a fact; evidence. The truth appears from the attestation of witnesses, or of the proper officer. The subscription of a name to a writing as a witness, is an attestation.

At*test"a*tive (&?;), a. Of the nature of attestation.

{ At*test"er (&?;), At*test"or (&?;), } n. One who attests.

At*test"ive (&?;), a. Attesting; furnishing evidence.

At"tic (&?;), a. [L. Atticus, Gr. &?;.] Of or pertaining to Attica, in Greece, or to Athens, its principal city; marked by such qualities as were characteristic of the Athenians; classical; refined.

Attic base (Arch.), a peculiar form of molded base for a column or pilaster, described by Vitruvius, applied under the Roman Empire to the Ionic and Corinthian and "Roman Doric" orders, and imitated by the architects of the Renaissance. -- Attic faith, inviolable faith. -- Attic purity, special purity of language. -- Attic salt, Attic wit, a poignant, delicate wit, peculiar to the Athenians. -- Attic story. See Attic, n. -- Attic style, a style pure and elegant.

At"tic, n. [In sense (a) from F. attique, orig. meaning Attic. See Attic, a.] 1. (Arch.) (a) A low story above the main order or orders of a facade, in the classical styles; -- a term introduced in the 17th century. Hence: (b) A room or rooms behind that part of the exterior; all the rooms immediately below the roof.