Solution
/səˈluː.ʃən/noun
A means of solving a problem, or a liquid in which a substance is dissolved.
Did you know?In Latin, *solutio* could mean both a release from a bond and the settling of a debt, so the word already carried the idea of freeing something that had been bound.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leu-
“to loosen, split apart, untie”
Latin
Latin
solvere
“to loosen, unbind, release, pay”
Latin
Latin
solutio
“a loosening, release, payment, discharge”
Old French
OF
solution
“a loosening, release; a solving or explanation”
Middle English
English
solution
“an act of loosening or releasing; later, a solving of a problem”
Modern English
English
solution
“a means of solving a problem; a liquid mixture in chemistry”