solve

See also: solvé

English

Etymology

From Middle English solven, from Latin solvō.

Pronunciation

• (UK)
  • (Received Pronunciation, Northern England, Wales) IPA^(key): /sɒlv/
  • (Standard Southern British) IPA^(key): /sɒlv/, [sɔɫv] ~ (l-vocalization) [sɔʊ̯v]

    • Audio (Southern England); [sɔɫv]:

      (file)

  • (Scotland) IPA^(key): /sɔlv/
• (US)
  • (without the cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /sɑlv/, (rarely) /sɔlv/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /sɑlv/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /sɒlv/
• (Australia) IPA^(key): /sɔlv/, [sɔɫv] ~ (l-vocalization) [sɔʊ̯v]
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /sɒlv/, [sɔ̟ɫv] ~ [sɞ̠ɫv] ~ (l-vocalization) [sɔ̟ʊ̯v] ~ [sɞ̠ɫv]
• Rhymes: -ɒlv

Verb

solve (third-person singular simple present solves, present participle solving, simple past and past participle solved)

1. To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out.

   Synonyms: decipher, resolve, unriddle; see also Thesaurus:solve

   • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:

     True piety would effectually solve such scruples.

   • 1649, Thomas Tickell, Thoughts occasioned by the sight of an original picture of King Charles I taken at the time of his trial:

     God shall solve the dark decrees of fate.

   • 2013 June 1, “Ideas coming down the track”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 13 (Technology Quarterly):

     A “moving platform” scheme […] is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays. This set-up solves several problems […].

2. to find out the perpetrator, the motive etc (of crime)

   to solve a murder   to solve a crime

3. (mathematics) To find the values of variables that satisfy a system of equations and/or inequalities.
4. (mathematics) To algebraically manipulate an equation or inequality into a form that isolates a chosen variable on one side, so that the other side consists of an expression that may be used to generate solutions.
5. (transitive) To loosen or separate the parts of.
   1. (chemistry, archaic) To dissolve

Conjugation

Conjugation of solve

infinitive	(to) solve
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	solve	solved
2nd-person singular	solve, solvest†	solved, solvedst†
3rd-person singular	solves, solveth†	solved
plural	solve
subjunctive	solve	solved
imperative	solve	—
participles	solving	solved

^† Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms

• backsolve
• missolve
• presolve
• problem-solve
• re-solve
• solvable
• solvible
• unsolve
• upsolve

Related terms

• absolve
• dissolve
• resolve
• soluble
• solute
• solution
• solvent

Translations

to find an answer or solution — see also resolve

• Afrikaans: oplos (af)
• Albanian: zgjidh (sq)
• Altai:

  Southern Altai: салар (salar), буйурар (buyurar)

• Arabic: ذَابَ (ḏāba), حَلَّ (ar) (ḥalla)
• Armenian: լուծել (hy) (lucel)
• Azerbaijani: çözmək, həll etmək (az)
• Belarusian: развя́зваць impf (razvjázvacʹ), развяза́ць pf (razvjazácʹ), раша́ць impf (rašácʹ), рашы́ць pf (rašýcʹ)
• Bulgarian: реша́вам (bg) impf (rešávam), реша́ (bg) pf (rešá)
• Burmese: ရှင်း (my) (hrang:), ဖြေ (my) (hpre)
• Catalan: resoldre (ca), solucionar (ca)
• Cebuano: sulbaron
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 解決 / 解决 (gaai² kyut³)

  Hokkien: 解決 / 解决 (zh-min-nan) (kái-koat)

  Mandarin: 解決 / 解决 (zh) (jiějué)

• Czech: řešit (cs) impf, vyřešit (cs) pf
• Danish: løse
• Dutch: oplossen (nl)
• Esperanto: solvi (eo)
• Finnish: ratkaista (fi), selvittää (fi)
• French: résoudre (fr), régler (fr), solutionner (fr)
• Frisian:

  West Frisian: oplosse

• Georgian: აგვარებს (agvarebs), წყვეტს (c̣q̇veṭs), გადაჭრის (gadač̣ris), ამოხსნის (amoxsnis), ხსნის (xsnis)
• German: lösen (de)
• Greek: λύνω (el) (lýno)
• Hebrew: פָּתַר (he) (patár)
• Higaonon: sulbad
• Hindi: सुलझाना (suljhānā), हल करना (hal karnā)
• Hungarian: megold (hu), megfejt (hu)
• Icelandic: ráða (is), leysa
• Ido: solvar (io)
• Irish: fuascail
• Italian: risolvere (it)
• Japanese: 解決する (ja) (かいけつする, kaiketsu suru)
• Kazakh: шешу (šešüw), шығару (šığaruw)
• Khmer: កាត់ (km) (kat), ដោះ (km) (dɑh)
• Korean: 해결하다 (ko) (haegyeolhada)
• Kyrgyz: чечүү (ky) (cecüü), чыгаруу (ky) (cıgaruu)
• Lao: ແກ້ (lo) (kǣ), ແກ້ໄຂ (lo) (kǣ khai)
• Macedonian: решава impf (rešava), реши pf (reši)
• Malay: menyelesaikan
• Māori: whakatikatika, whakatika, hīraurau, whakaoti (in mathematics), whakamatara
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: шийдэх (mn) (šiidex)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: løse (no)

• Occitan: resòlver (oc)
• Persian: حل کردن (fa) (hal kardan)
• Polish: rozwiązywać (pl) impf, rozwiązać (pl) pf
• Portuguese: resolver (pt), solucionar (pt)
• Romanian: rezolva (ro), soluționa (ro), lămuri (ro)
• Russian: реша́ть (ru) impf (rešátʹ), реши́ть (ru) pf (rešítʹ)
• Sardinian: resòlvere
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: реша́вати impf, рјеша́вати impf, ре́шити pf, рије́шити pf

  Latin: rešávati (sh) impf, rješávati (sh) impf, réšiti (sh) pf, rijéšiti (sh) pf

• Slovak: riešiť impf, vyriešiť pf
• Slovene: reševati impf, rešiti (sl) pf
• Spanish: solucionar (es), solventar (es), solver
• Swedish: lösa (sv)
• Tagalog: lutasin
• Tajik: ҳал кардан (hal kardan)
• Telugu: పరిష్కరించు (te) (pariṣkariñcu)
• Thai: แก้ (th) (gɛ̂ɛ), แก้ไข (th) (gɛ̂ɛ-kǎi)
• Turkish: çözmek (tr), halletmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: розв'я́зувати impf (rozvʺjázuvaty), розв'яза́ти pf (rozvʺjazáty), вирі́шувати impf (vyríšuvaty), ви́рішити pf (výrišyty)
• Urdu: حل کرنا (hal karnā)
• Uzbek: hal etmoq
• Vietnamese: giải quyết (vi)

to find out the perpetrator

• Azerbaijani: üstünü açmaq
• Bulgarian: разкри́вам (bg) impf (razkrívam)
• German: aufklären (de), klären (de)
• Russian: раскрыть (ru) (raskrytʹ)
• Swedish: klara upp

to use a mathematical process or operation

• Bulgarian: решавам (bg) (rešavam)
• German: lösen (de)
• Hebrew: פָּתַר (he) (patár)
• Māori: whakaoti

Noun

solve (plural solves)

1. (now rare, chiefly law enforcement) A solution; an explanation.

   Today's cryptic crossword was an easy solve.

   • 1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 69”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC:

     The solve is this, that thou dost common grow.

   • 2014 February 4, The Party, Gil Ozeri and Gabe Liedman (writers), Michael Engler (director), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, season 1, episode 16:

     KEVIN: I decided a long time ago that just because I love Raymond, doesn't mean I have to love the people he works with. Good solve, Detective.

   • 2017, Elodia Strain, The Dating Experiment, →ISBN:

     “Hey, Mr. Quilt Bandit.”
     Ian smiled. “Nice solve, Nancy Drew.”

Anagrams

• Loves, loves, slove, voles, voëls

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔl.ve/
• Rhymes: -ɔlve
• Hyphenation: sòl‧ve

Verb

solve

1. third-person singular present indicative of solvere

Anagrams

• svelo, svelò, volse

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈsɔɫ.wɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈsɔl.ve]

Verb

solve

1. second-person singular present active imperative of solvō

References

• "solve", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Middle English

Verb

solve

1. alternative form of solven