Dissolved

How to spell dissolved

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce dissolved

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does dissolved mean?

1. verbPast tense of dissolve: became absorbed into a liquid until it was no longer solid.
2. verbPast tense of dissolve: brought a formal body, partnership, or agreement to an official end.

Dissolved in a sentence

• The sugar dissolved quickly in the hot tea.

• The two founders dissolved their business partnership last spring.

• Once the tablet had dissolved, she drank the medicine.

• Parliament was dissolved ahead of the general election.

Where does dissolved come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb dissolvere, which literally meant 'to loosen apart', formed from the prefix dis- 'apart' and solvere 'to loosen or release'. The same solvere lies behind a whole family of English words, including 'solve', 'solution', 'solvent' and 'absolve', all carrying that core idea of loosening or releasing something. English took the word in during the late 1300s, by way of Latin rather than through French, and it kept the doubled s from the dis- prefix meeting the s of the root. At first it was used both for physically breaking something down in liquid and, more abstractly, for breaking up bonds, agreements and assemblies. The doubled s is exactly the spot writers stumble on, since the two senses of 'apart' and 'loosen' fuse into a single ss that the ear does not separate.

How the word is built

• dis- (apart)
• solv (from Latin solvere: to loosen, release)
• -ed (past tense suffix)