Library / English Dictionary

DILUTE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Reduced in strength or concentration or quality or purity

Example:

dilute acetic acid

Synonyms:

dilute; diluted

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

cut; thinned; weakened (mixed with water)

washy; watery; weak (overly diluted; thin and insipid)

white ((of coffee) having cream or milk added)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture

Example:

cut bourbon

Synonyms:

cut; dilute; reduce; thin; thin out

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "dilute" is one way to...):

weaken (lessen the strength of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dilute"):

water down (make less strong or intense)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

dilutant (a diluting agent)

dilution (weakening (reducing the concentration) by the addition of water or a thinner)

dilution (a diluted solution)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones

Example:

adulterate liquor

Synonyms:

adulterate; debase; dilute; load; stretch

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "dilute" is one way to...):

corrupt; spoil (alter from the original)

Verb group:

extend; stretch (increase in quantity or bulk by adding a cheaper substance)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dilute"):

water down (thin by adding water to)

doctor; doctor up; sophisticate (alter and make impure, as with the intention to deceive)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

dilution (weakening (reducing the concentration) by the addition of water or a thinner)

Credits

 Context examples: 

An oil with little or no scent that is used to dilute or “carry” essential oils (scented liquid taken from plants).

(Carrier oil, NCI Dictionary)

A liquid preparation of increased strength and reduced volume which is usually diluted prior to administration.

(Concentrated Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A solution or suspension composed of active and/or inert ingredient(s) with increased strength in a reduced volume, which is usually diluted prior to administration.

(Concentrated Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)

A concentrate which is usually diluted prior to administration by injection.

(Concentrated Injectable Solution Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)

The affected pupil will respond more briskly to accommodation than to light (light-near dissociation) and is supersensitive to dilute pilocarpine eye drops, which induce pupillary constriction.

(Holmes-Adie Syndrome, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

A screening assay for circulating complement proteins in which diluted serum samples are added to antibody-coated erythrocytes and the percentage of cell lysis is measured.

(Complement Hemolytic Activity Assay, NCI Thesaurus)

For example, if a pinhead-sized sample of brain tissue from an Alzheimer’s patient were pulverized and diluted into a thousand gallons of liquid, the test still could detect tau seeds in a pinhead-sized volume of that dilution.

(New test detects protein associated with Alzheimer’s and CTE, National Institutes of Health)

Expressed in a variety of cell types by human MLLT4 Gene, 1816-aa 206-kDa AF-6 Protein is a possible signal transduction protein controlled by Ras signaling pathways that is strongly similar to afadin (rat) and contains short stretches rich in proline, charged amino acids, serines, or glutamines, 1 dilute domain, 1 FHA domain, 1 PDZ/DHR domain, and 2 RAS-associating domains.

(AF-6 Protein, NCI Thesaurus)

Indapamide exerts its diuretic effect by inhibiting reabsorption of sodium and chloride, primarily as a result of action on the cortical diluting segment of the renal distal tubule, thereby promoting urinary excretion of water and electrolytes.

(Indapamide, NCI Thesaurus)

In this approach, a health worker applies dilute acetic acid to the cervix and inspects the cervix with the naked eye, looking for "aceto whitening, which indicates possible disease. Because of its convenience and low cost, VIA is widely used where more advanced screening methods are not available. However, it is known to be inaccurate and needs improvement.

(AI approach outperformed human experts in identifying cervical precancer, National Institutes of Health)