tend-, tendo-, ten-, teno-, tenot-, tenonto-, tens-, tent-, -tend, -tension, -tent, -tense, -tensive, -tentious

These words all mean to make something seem less wrong, evil, blameworthy, etc.

• Extenuate suggests the effort to lessen, or to decrease blame that has been incurred by an offense, while palliate implies concealment, to make less severe or intense, as of the incriminating facts or the gravity of their consequences.

To extenuate past neglect by present concern; to palliate the errors in a book:

"Starvation may serve to extenuate an instance of theft."
"A doting parent may seek to palliate the excesses of an errant son."
• Gloss over stresses the disguising or misrepresentation of incriminating facts; such as, to gloss over a mediocre academic record.
• To whitewash is to represent by completely false information or a dishonest judgment: "The accused man went free, whitewashed by a misguided board of investigation."

To render a crime less aggravated, heinous, or reprehensible than it would otherwise be, or to tend to palliate or to lessen its guilt.

Such circumstances may ordinarily be shown in order to reduce a punishment or damages. In contract law, unusual or extraordinary events that prevent performance within a specified time; for example, a delay resulting from a strike by workers or suppliers.

1. To act in such a way as to cause an offense to seem less serious.
2. A partial excuse to mitigate censure.
3. An attempt to represent an offense as being less serious than it appears by showing mitigating circumstances; that is, making an offense or a crime seem less serious or at least more excusable.

A reference to lessening or attempting to lessen the magnitude or seriousness of something; especially, by providing some excuses for doing it.

Someone who decreases the seriousness or extent of something by making excuses or trying to provide reasons for such actions.

1. Any abnormally high tension.
2. Abnormally high blood pressure, or a disease of which this is the chief sign.

The medical term for low blood pressure: There are some healthy people who have a normal hypotension of their heart and blood vessels which are well below the average for their ages.

Hypotension is usually indicated when the blood pressure has fallen to such a degree that the blood flow to the brain is reduced, causing dizziness and fainting.

Abnormally low blood pressure.

1. To have in mind as a purpose; a plan; purpose.
2. Something to be or to be used for designing.
3. Etymology: from Latin intendere, "to stretch out for, to aim at".

A director, manager of a public business, superintendant, etc.; term applied to certain foreign officials, as to the supervisors of any of certain districts in Spanish America.