dissolve

English

Etymology

Recorded since c.1374, from Latin dissolvere "to loosen up, break apart", itself from dis- "apart" + solvere "to loose, loosen"

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): [dɪˈzɒɫv]

Verb

dissolve (third-person singular simple present dissolves, present participle dissolving, simple past and past participle dissolved)

1. (transitive) To terminate a union of multiple members actively, as by disbanding

   The ruling party or coalition sometimes dissolves parliament early when the polls are favorable, hoping to reconvene with a larger majority

2. (transitive) To destroy, make disappear
3. (transitive) To liquify, melt into a fluid
   • Shakespeare

     as if the world were all dissolved to tears

4. (intransitive) To be melted, changed into a fluid
5. (chemistry, transitive) To disintegrate chemically into a solution by immersion into a liquid or gas.
6. (chemistry, intransitive) To be disintegrated by such immersion.
7. (transitive) To disperse, drive apart a group of persons.
   • Shakespeare

     Nothing can dissolve us.

8. (transitive) To break the continuity of; to disconnect; to loosen; to undo; to separate.
   • Fairfax

     Down fell the duke, his joints dissolved asunder.

   • The Declaration of Independence

     For one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.

9. (law, transitive) To annul; to rescind; to discharge or release.

   to dissolve an injunction

10. (cinematography, intransitive) To shift from one shot to another by having the former fade out as the latter fades in.
11. (intransitive) To resolve itself as by dissolution
12. (obsolete) To solve; to clear up; to resolve.
    • Tennyson

      dissolved the mystery

    • Bible, Daniel v. 16

      Make interpretations and dissolve doubts.

13. To relax by pleasure; to make powerless.
    • Dryden

      Angels dissolved in hallelujahs lie.

Synonyms

• melt
• (cinematography) fade out

Derived terms

• dissolvable
• dissolver

Related terms

• dissoluble
• dissolute
• dissolution
• dissolvent

Antonyms

• (terminate a union of multiple members actively): establish, found

Translations

to terminate a union of multiple members actively

• Bulgarian: разпускам (bg) (razpuskam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 解散 (zh) (jiěsàn)

• Dutch: ontbinden (nl), oplossen (nl)
• Finnish: hajottaa (fi), purkaa (fi)
• French: dissoudre (fr)
• Galician: disolver (gl)
• German: auflösen (de)
• Greek: διαλύω (el) (dialýo)

  Ancient: λύω (lúō)

• Hungarian: feloszlat (hu)
• Irish: scaoil
• Japanese: 解散する (ja) (kaisan suru), 廃止する (ja) (haishi suru)
• Malay: bubar
• Maori: pakaru
• Polish: rozwiązywać (pl) impf, rozwiązać (pl) pf, rozpuszczać (pl) impf, rozpuścić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: dissolver (pt)
• Russian: распуска́ть (ru) impf (raspuskátʹ), распусти́ть (ru) pf (raspustítʹ)
• Spanish: disolver (es)

transitive: to disintegrate into a solution by immersion

• Armenian: լուծել (hy) (lucel)
• Bulgarian: разтварям (bg) (raztvarjam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 溶解 (zh) (róngjiě), 融化 (zh) (rónghuà)

• Czech: rozpustit
• Dutch: oplossen (nl)
• Finnish: liuottaa (fi)
• French: dissoudre (fr)
• German: auflösen (de)
• Greek: διαλύω (el) (dialýo), λιώνω (el) (lióno)
• Hebrew: הֵמֵס‏‎ (he) (hemés)
• Hungarian: felold (hu)

• Japanese: 溶かす (とかす, tokasu), 溶く (とく, toku)
• Malay: larut
• Maori: memeha
• Polish: rozpuszczać (pl) impf, rozpuścić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: dissolver (pt)
• Russian: растворя́ть (ru) impf (rastvorjátʹ), раствори́ть (ru) pf (rastvorítʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: растворити

  Roman: rastvoriti (sh)

• Spanish: disolver (es)
• Swedish: lösa (sv), lösa upp (sv)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

intransitive: to be disintegrated into a solution by immersion

• Bulgarian: разтварям се (raztvarjam se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 融化 (zh) (rónghuà), 溶解 (zh) (róngjiě)

• Dutch: oplossen (nl)
• Finnish: liueta (fi)
• French: se dissoudre (fr)
• German: sich auflösen (de)
• Greek: διαλύομαι (el) (dialýomai), λιώνομαι (liónomai)
• Hebrew: נָמַס‏‎ (he) (namás)
• Hungarian: feloldódik (hu)
• Irish: díscaoil

• Japanese: 溶ける (ja) (とける, tokeru)
• Maori: memeha
• Polish: rozpuszczać (pl)
• Portuguese: dissolver (pt)
• Russian: растворя́ться (ru) impf (rastvorjátʹsja), раствори́ться (ru) pf (rastvorítʹsja)
• Scottish Gaelic: leagh
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: растворити се

  Roman: rastvoriti se (sh)

• Spanish: disolver (es)

to resolve itself as by dissolution

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 溶解 (zh) (róngjiě)

• Dutch: verdampen (nl)
• Finnish: hajota (fi)
• French: se dissoudre (fr)
• German: sich auflösen (de)

• Irish: díscaoil
• Portuguese: dissolver (pt)
• Russian: распуска́ться (ru) impf (raspuskátʹsja), распусти́ться (ru) pf (raspustítʹsja), распада́ться (ru) impf (raspadátʹsja), распа́сться (ru) pf (raspástʹsja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: распасти се

  Roman: raspasti se (sh)

fade out — see fade out

to disperse a group

• Bulgarian: разпускам (bg) (razpuskam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 解散 (zh) (jiěsàn)

• Czech: rozpustit
• Dutch: ontbinden (nl), uiteendrijven (nl)
• Finnish: hajottaa (fi) (transitive), hajautua (intransitive)
• German: auflösen (de)

• Hungarian: feloszlat (hu), oszlat (hu)
• Japanese: 解散する (ja) (かいさんする, kaisan suru)
• Portuguese: dissolver (pt)
• Russian: распуска́ть (ru) impf (raspuskátʹ), распусти́ть (ru) pf (raspustítʹ)
• Spanish: disolver (es)
• Swedish: skingra (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} dissoudre (fr), ^{(please verify)} rompre (fr), ^{(please verify)} annuler (fr), ^{(please verify)} supprimer (fr)

• Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} eadar-sgaoil

See also

• melt

Noun

dissolve (plural dissolves)

1. (cinematography) A film punctuation in which there is a gradual transition from one scene to the next.

Synonyms

• fade out

Translations

film punctuation

• Dutch: fade-out
• Finnish: ristikuva

• Italian: dissolvenza f

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Italian

Verb

dissolve

1. third-person singular present indicative of dissolvere

Anagrams

• disvolse

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Latin

Verb

dissolve

1. second-person singular present active imperative of dissolvō

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Portuguese

Verb

dissolve

1. Third-person singular (ele, ela, also used with tu and você^?) present indicative of dissolver
2. Second-person singular (tu) affirmative imperative of dissolver