soluble

[sol-yuh-buh l]

See more synonyms for soluble on Thesaurus.com

adjective

capable of being dissolved or liquefied: a soluble powder.
capable of being solved or explained: a soluble problem.

noun

something soluble.

Origin of soluble

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin solūbilis, equivalent to Latin solū-, variant stem of solvere to loosen, dissolve + -bilis -ble

Related formssol·u·ble·ness, nounsol·u·bly, adverbin·ter·sol·u·ble, adjectivenon·sol·u·ble, adjectivenon·sol·u·ble·ness, nounnon·sol·u·bly, adverbun·sol·u·ble, adjectiveun·sol·u·ble·ness, nounun·sol·u·bly, adverb

Can be confusedsolvable soluble

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for soluble

solvable, solvent, dispersible, dissoluble, dissolvable, emulsifiable, resolvable

Examples from the Web for soluble

Historical Examples of soluble

The lead salts not soluble in ether were decomposed by acid.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 497, July 11, 1885
Various
The strong compounds of earth and water are not soluble by water, but only by fire.
Timaeus
Plato
There is considerable hydrolysis of the lignocellulose to soluble products.
Researches on Cellulose
C. F. Cross
This 'pectin' is therefore a form of soluble lignocellulose.
Researches on Cellulose
C. F. Cross
These are white solids, soluble in water, the latter sparingly so.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry
William McPherson

British Dictionary definitions for soluble

soluble

adjective

(of a substance) capable of being dissolved, esp easily dissolved in some solvent, usually water
capable of being solved or answered

Derived Formssolubleness, nounsolubly, adverb

Word Origin for soluble

C14: from Late Latin solūbilis, from Latin solvere to dissolve

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for soluble

adj.

late 14c., "capable of being dissolved," from Old French soluble "expungable, eradicable" (13c.), from Late Latin solubilis "that may be loosened or dissolved," from stem of Latin solvere "loosen, dissolve" (see solve). Meaning "capable of being solved" is attested from 1705. Substances are soluble, not solvable; problems can be either.

soluble in Medicine