Dissolve
/dɪˈzɑlv/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo mix into a liquid until no separate pieces remain.
verbTo officially end an organization, agreement, or meeting.
Extra definitions
verbMix into a liquid and disappear.
verbGradually disappear or fade.
verbTo terminate a union of multiple members actively, as by disbanding.
Sentence Examples
Dissolve the tablet in water.
The president dissolved the committee.
Their partnership began to dissolve.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
None
Word Origin & History
Recorded since c. 1374 (displacing Old English toliesan) as Middle English dissolven, from Latin dissolvere (“to loosen up, break apart”) but with the sense from Anglo-Norman dissoldre (variant of Old French dissoudre), itself from dis- (“apart”) + solvere (“to loose, loosen”). By surface analysis, dis- + solve.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
“as if the world were all dissolved to tears”
— 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
“There was a legend that Cleopatra was accustomed to dissolve pearls in vinegar and drink the fluid in order to promote her amorousness.”
— 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 65:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
____ the tablet in water.