Word Origin and History for attenuate Expand v. to make thin, to make less, 1520s, from Latin attenuatus enfeebled, weak, past participle of attenuare to make thin, lessen, diminish, from ad-to (see ad-) + tenuare make thin, from tenuis thin (see tenet).
Dependent Variable Definition: A dependent variable is the variable being tested in a scientific experiment. The dependent variable is 'dependent' on the independent variable. As the experimenter changes the independent variable, the change in the dependent variable is observed and recorded.
n. 1 a variable in a mathematical equation or statement whose value depends on that taken on by the independent variable. in ``y = f(x)'', ``y'' is the dependent variable. 2 (Psychol, statistics) the variable measured by the experimenter. It is controlled by the value of the independent variable, of which it is an index. English Collins Dictionary-English Definition & Thesaurus &nbsp. See also: dependent clause, dependent variable, dependently, dependant. bad day for science. bad day for science. exp. expression used when nothing is going well.