weakening vs etiolation

weakening and etiolation both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
weakening	Yes	Yes	No	No
etiolation	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, etiolation is a hyponym of weakening; that is, etiolation is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than weakening:

weakening: the act of reducing the strength of something
etiolation: the act of weakening by stunting the growth or development of something

Other hyponyms of weakening include wilt, wilting, dilution.

weakening (noun)	etiolation (noun)
the act of reducing the strength of something	(botany) the act of causing a plant to develop without chlorophyll by growing it without exposure to sunlight
becoming weaker	the act of weakening by stunting the growth or development of something
	a pale and sickly appearance

weakening (adjective)	etiolation (adjective)
causing debilitation
moderating by making pain or sorrow weaker