# dissolve

Pronunciation: US say "di-ZAHLV" /dɪˈzɑlv/; UK say "di-ZOLV" /dɪˈzɒlv/

## Verb

1. To cause a substance to disintegrate chemically into a solution by immersing it in a liquid or other material.
   - Simple: To mix a solid into a liquid until it breaks apart and becomes part of it.
   - _Acids can dissolve certain metals, releasing hydrogen gas in the process._
   - _The solvent dissolved the polymer completely within a few minutes._
2. To break down and pass into a solution when immersed in a liquid or other material.
   - Simple: To break apart and mix into a liquid until it disappears into it.
   - _Salt dissolves readily in water at room temperature._
   - _These crystals dissolve slowly unless the liquid is heated._
3. To destroy something or cause it to disappear entirely.
   - Simple: To make something break down and disappear completely.
   - _The verdict dissolved any hope the family had been holding onto._
   - _Nothing could dissolve the bond between the two old friends._
4. To bring an organized body or formal union to an end, as by disbanding it.
   - Simple: To officially end a group, marriage, or organization.
   - _The board agreed to dissolve the partnership at the end of the year._
   - _A monarch could once dissolve the assembly at will._
5. To annul or rescind a legal arrangement; to discharge or release someone from a binding obligation.
   - Simple: To cancel or end something legally, such as a contract or court order.
   - _The court moved to dissolve the injunction after new evidence emerged._
   - _An annulment dissolves the marriage as though it never legally existed._
6. To melt a solid substance into a fluid; to liquefy it.
   - Simple: To turn a solid into a liquid, usually by heating it.
   - _Steady heat dissolves the resin into a workable liquid._
   - _Alchemists believed fire could dissolve metals into their purest form._
7. Of a solid, to melt and be changed into a fluid.
   - Simple: To melt and turn into a liquid.
   - _The candle slowly dissolved into a puddle of hot wax._
   - _Ice sculptures dissolve quickly once the afternoon sun hits them._
8. To break the continuity of something; to disconnect, loosen, or separate its joined parts.
   - Simple: To break something apart so its joined pieces no longer hold together.
   - _Mistrust gradually dissolved the connections that once held the alliance firm._
   - _A clumsy edit can dissolve the narrative thread that holds a story together._
9. To disperse a group of people, driving them apart.
   - Simple: To force a group of people to break up and move apart.
   - _Officers used barriers to dissolve the protest peacefully._
   - _The sudden downpour dissolved the open-air market within minutes._
10. Of a film shot, to transition into another by fading out as the next shot fades in.
   - Simple: In film, to change from one shot to the next as the first fades out and the second fades in.
   - _The film dissolves from the battlefield to a peaceful meadow._
   - _Here the two shots dissolve into one another to suggest the passage of time._
12. To come apart or break down gradually, as through a process of dissolution.
   - Simple: To gradually break down and come apart on its own.
   - _The committee dissolved into bickering factions over the budget._
   - _Great institutions can dissolve when public trust steadily erodes._
13. To render someone relaxed or powerless through pleasure or sensual ease.
   - Simple: To make someone weak or helpless by filling them with pleasure or ease.
   - _The languid afternoon dissolved them into idle contentment._
   - _Luxury can dissolve a soldier's discipline over time._
14. In typography, to separate a ligature into the individual letters that compose it.
   - Simple: In printing, to split a joined pair of letters back into separate letters.
   - _Editors may dissolve the ligature when a word breaks across a line._
   - _The font automatically dissolves the ligature under certain spacing conditions._

## Noun

11. A film transition in which one scene gradually fades into the next.
   - Simple: A slow change between two scenes, where one fades out as the next fades in.
   - _The editor chose a dissolve to soften the jump between the two timelines._
   - _A long dissolve carried the audience from winter into spring._

## Verb

15. To solve or clear up a problem, question, or difficulty; to resolve it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To work out the answer to a problem or puzzle.

## Origin

Recorded since about 1374 (replacing the Old English toliesan), the Middle English dissolven comes from Latin dissolvere ('to loosen up, break apart'), though its sense arrived through Anglo-Norman dissoldre, a variant of Old French dissoudre. The root parts are dis- ('apart') and solvere ('to loose, loosen').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dissolve (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).