Dilute (verb) – to make thinner or more liquid by admixture

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilute

From “You In America” by Amanda Ngozi Adichie

I came across this word while reading “You In America” by Amanda Ngozi Adichie. It appears around the end of the reading, as the author talks about how you let out your emotions in the shower, crying as you’re in it. It caught my interest because it’s a word I don’t hear quite often and didn’t know it’s meaning, so i’m curious as to how it ties in with the sentence and the author’s overall point.

“Later, in the shower, you started to cry, you watched the water dilute your tears and you didn’t know why you were crying.” (Adichie).

After reading the definition of the word I better understand the context of how the author was using it in that part of the text. As seen in the quote, the author is discribing how you would react in a sad situation like that.