attenuation vs diminution

attenuation

noun
  • A gradual diminishing of strength. 

  • A reduction in the level of some property with distance, especially the amplitude of a wave or the strength of a signal. 

  • The reduction of the active principles of medicines to minute doses. 

  • The tapering of a leaf etc to a fine point. 

  • A weakening in the virulence of a pathogen or other microorganism. 

  • A fabrication process in which a material is stretched out into a thin shape. 

  • The proportion of sugar that is converted to ethanol by a yeast. 

diminution

noun
  • A lessening, decrease or reduction. 

  • a compositional technique where the composer shortens the melody by shortening its note values. 

  • The act or process of making diminutive. 

How often have the words attenuation and diminution occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )