different between cloak vs extenuate

English

Alternative forms

• cloke (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English cloke, from Old Northern French cloque (“travelling cloak”), from Medieval Latin clocca (“travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so called from the garment’s bell-like shape”), of Celtic origin, from Proto-Celtic *klokkos-, ultimately imitative.

Doublet of clock.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /?klo?k/
• Rhymes: -??k

Noun

cloak (plural cloaks)

1. A long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; a cape, often with a hood.
2. A blanket-like covering, often metaphorical.

3. (figuratively)  That which conceals; a disguise or pretext.

   No man is esteemed any ways considerable for policy who wears religion otherwise than as a cloak.

4. (Internet) A text replacement for an IRC user's hostname or IP address, making the user less identifiable.

Derived terms

• cloak and dagger

Translations

See also

• burnoose, burnous, burnouse
• domino costume

Verb

cloak (third-person singular simple present cloaks, present participle cloaking, simple past and past participle cloaked)

1. (transitive) To cover as with a cloak.
2. (transitive, figuratively) To cover up, hide or conceal.
3. (science fiction, transitive, intransitive) To render or become invisible via futuristic technology.

   The ship cloaked before entering the enemy sector of space.

Derived terms

• cloaking device

Translations

English

Etymology

From Latin extenu?tus, past participle of extenu?re (“to make thin, loosen, weaken”) from ex (“out”) + tenu?re (“to make thin”), from tenuis (“thin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?st?njue?t/

Verb

extenuate (third-person singular simple present extenuates, present participle extenuating, simple past and past participle extenuated)

1. (transitive) To lessen; to palliate; to lessen or weaken the force of; to diminish the conception of, as crime, guilt, faults, ills, accusations, etc.
   • 1833, Isaac Taylor, Saturday Evening

     Let us then contemplate this companion of our existence;—and let us extenuate, conceal, adorn the unpleasing reality.

2. (archaic, transitive) To make thin or slender; to draw out so as to lessen the thickness.
   • 1681, Nehemiah Grew, Musaeum Regalis Societatis

     His body behind the head becomes broad, from whence it is again extenuated all the way to the tail.
3. (archaic, intransitive) To become thinner.
4. (obsolete) To lower or degrade; to detract from.

Synonyms

• (lessen; diminish): mitigate

Antonyms

• (lessen; diminish): aggravate

Related terms

Translations

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ek.ste.nu?a?.te/, [?ks?t??nu?ä?t??]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ek.ste.nu?a.te/, [?kst??nu???t??]

Verb

extenu?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of extenu?