extenuation

Ex*ten`u*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. extenuatio: cf. F. exténuation.] Defn: The act of axtenuating or the state of being extenuated; the act of making thin, slender, or lean, or of palliating; diminishing, or lessening; palliation, as of a crime; mitigation, as of punishment. To listen . . . to every extenuation of what is evil. I. Taylor.

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