different between extraneous vs extenuate

English

Etymology

From Latin extr?neus (“from without, strange”). Doublet of strange. Cognate with estrange (verb), Spanish extraño.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k?st?e?.ni.?s/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ek?st?æ?.ni.?s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?k?st?e?.ni.?s/, /?k?st?e?.ni.?s/
• Rhymes: -e?ni?s

Adjective

extraneous (not comparable)

1. Not belonging to, or dependent upon, a thing; without or beyond a thing; foreign

   to separate gold from extraneous matter

   Extraneous substances were found on my cup of water.

2. Not essential or intrinsic

Synonyms

• (not belonging to): additional, alien, foreign, intrusive; See also Thesaurus:foreign
• (not essential): superfluous, extra; See also Thesaurus:extrinsic

Antonyms

• intraneous

Derived terms

• extraneously
• extraneousness

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?