Dissolving

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of a solid or substance breaking apart and mixing uniformly into a liquid ; the act of formally ending or terminating an organization, agreement, or arrangement
2. When a material separates and becomes incorporated completely into a liquid medium ; the formal conclusion or dismissal of a group, contract, or relationship
3. Transforming a solid into a liquid mixture by separating its parts ; the official act of bringing a business, partnership, or contract to a close

Etymology: The verb "dissolve" has a neat built-in logic: it is literally "apart" plus "loosen." Its Latin ancestor, "dissolvere," meant to loosen up or break something apart, so the original picture is of a knot coming undone or a structure falling into its pieces. Only later did the sense narrow to a solid vanishing into a liquid, and the meaning of ending a group or agreement grew from the same idea of things coming apart. The word reached English in the late 1300s, when Middle English "dissolven" took over from the Old English "toliesan," which had meant something close to "to loosen" or "to undo." The form arrived through Anglo-Norman "dissoldre," a variant of Old French "dissoudre," so it passed through French before settling into English. The "dis-" prefix still carries its old force, meaning "apart," and "solve" in "dissolve" shares its root with words like "solution" and "resolve," all built on the notion of loosening. Parliament, a club, or a marriage is dissolved in the same way a sugar cube is, by its parts being loosened from one another.

Synonyms: melting, liquefying

Antonyms: solidifying, freezing