solvent

[ sol-vuhnt ]
See synonyms for: solventsolvents on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. able to pay all just debts.

  2. having the power of dissolving; causing solution.

noun
  1. a substance that dissolves another to form a solution: Water is a solvent for sugar.

  2. something that solves or explains.

Origin of solvent

1
First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin solvent-, stem of solvēns “loosening,” present participle of solvere “to loosen, release”; see solve

Other words from solvent

  • sol·vent·less, adjective
  • sol·vent·ly, adverb

Words Nearby solvent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use solvent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for solvent

solvent

/ (ˈsɒlvənt) /


adjective
  1. capable of meeting financial obligations

  2. (of a substance, esp a liquid) capable of dissolving another substance

noun
  1. a liquid capable of dissolving another substance: water is a solvent for salt

  2. the component of a solution that does not change its state in forming the solution or the component that is present in excess: Compare solute

  1. something that solves

Origin of solvent

1
C17: from Latin solvēns releasing, from solvere to free, solve

Derived forms of solvent

  • solvently, adverb

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

Scientific definitions for solvent

solvent

[ sŏlvənt ]


  1. A substance that can dissolve another substance, or in which another substance is dissolved, forming a solution. Water is the most common solvent.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.