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soluble

[sol-yuh-buh l]
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adjective
  1. capable of being dissolved or liquefied: a soluble powder.
  2. capable of being solved or explained: a soluble problem.
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noun
  1. something soluble.
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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

Examples from the Web for soluble

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • This 'pectin' is therefore a form of soluble lignocellulose.

  • These are white solids, soluble in water, the latter sparingly so.

British Dictionary definitions for soluble

soluble

adjective
  1. (of a substance) capable of being dissolved, esp easily dissolved in some solvent, usually water
  2. capable of being solved or answered
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Derived Formssolubleness, nounsolubly, adverb

Word Origin

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
soluble in Medicine

soluble

(sŏl′yə-bəl)
adj.
  1. Capable of being dissolved, especially easily dissolved.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
soluble in Science

soluble

[sŏl′yə-bəl]
  1. Capable of being dissolved. Salt, for example, is soluble in water.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.