Solve
/sɑlv/noun
To find an answer or explanation for something; to loosen or dissolve something.
Did you know?Solve comes from Latin solvere, a word tied to untying, paying off debts, and even releasing a soul from obligation—language as literal unbinding.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leu-
“to loosen, divide, or separate”
Latin
Latin
solvere
“to loosen, untie, release, pay off”
Latin
Latin
solvere (past participle solutus)
“loosened, released”
Old French
Old French
solver
“to solve, loosen, explain”
Middle English
English
soven / solve
“to loosen, explain, find an answer”
Modern English
English
solve
“to find an answer or explanation for”