▪ I. solution, n.
(səˈl(j)uːʃən)
Forms: 4–5 solucioun, -tioun, 4–6 solucion(e, 6 solucyon(e, solyssion, 6– solution.
[a. OF. solucion, -tion (mod.F. solution, = Sp. solucion, It. soluzione) or ad. L. solūtiōn-, solūtio, f. ppl. stem of solvĕre solve v.]
I. 1. a. The action or process of solving; the state, condition, or fact of being solved.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce i. 259, I leve all the solucioun Till thaim that ar off mar renoun. c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 2022 Yef hit had be nomore but for the solucion Of my demaunde and of thys straunge vysyon. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 255 The solution of a questyon moued of his sayd blessed deth. 1551 T. Wilson Logike (1580) 26 b, Thyne argument..needed then no solution at all. 1620 T. Granger Div. Logike 316 The answering and solution of all his obiections against vs. 1664 Power Exp. Philos. iii. 191 The Solutions of all those former Difficulties are reserved for you..to gratifie Posterity withall. 1736 Gentl. Mag. VI. 476 The famous Mr. Leibnitz..own'd that the Solutions of such Problems as these..was a very difficult Task. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 520 Knots worthy of solution, which alone A Deity could solve. 1838 De Morgan Ess. Probab. 93 The use of the tables at the end of this work, in the solution of complicated questions. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 91/1 A difficult problem of mixed law and fact for solution by the judges. |
b. A particular instance or method of solving or settling; an explanation, answer, or decision.
| 1382 Wyclif Dan. ii. 25 A man..that shal telle to the kyng the solucioun. 1401 Polit. Poems (Rolls) II. 73 And so thes similitudes, with thes soluciones, ben not worthe the devellis dirt. 1432–50 tr. Higden (Rolls) III. 99 Daniel the prophete ȝafe a solucion of a vision to Nabugodonosor in Caldea. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxii. (Percy Soc.) 157 Now have I answered you your question, And I pray you of a lyke solucion. 1596 Bp. W. Barlow Three Serm. iii. 126 This may serue for a short solution. 1667 Pepys Diary 1 May, Expecting the solution of the Judges in this point. 1681 H. Hallywell Melampronoea Title-p., A Solution of the Chiefest Objections brought against the Being of Witches. 1711 Addison Spect. No. 21 ¶6 He might have found a better Solution for this Difficulty, than any of those he has made use of. 1774 Pennant Tour Scotl. in 1772 233 This solution of mine is absolutely denied. 1813 Sir H. Davy Agric. Chem. ii. (1814) 33 These facts afford a rational solution of this curious problem. 1854 Froude Short Stud., Spinoza (1867) 241 Undoubtedly it provides a solution for every difficulty. 1884 J. Quincy Figures of Past 376 These hard names furnish no solution to the problem he presents to us. |
c. Med. The termination or crisis of a disease.
| 1851 Dunglison Med. Lex., Solution, means, also, with many, the termination of a disease:—..a termination accompanied by critical signs;—and with others, again, it is synonymous with crisis. |
† 2. The action of releasing or setting free; deliverance, release.
Obs.| a 1513 Fabyan Chron. (1811) 407 He alonely opteyned nat solucion of his othe, but also..was declaryd kynge of Scicill. 1550 Bale Eng. Votaries ii. 12 Immediately after thys solucyon or settynge at large of Sathan. 1655 Stanley Hist. Philos. (1687) 88/2 As death is the solution of the Soul from the Body. 1659 H. More Immort. Soul iii. xviii, After this solution of the Souls or Spirits of Wicked Men and Dæmons from their Vehicles. |
† 3. The action of paying; a payment.
Obs.| 1489 Sc. Acts, Jas. IV (1814) II. 222/2 Anent the Recuperatioun..of annuale Rentis in burgh, in falt of Solutioun and payment of the annualis. 1526 Ord. Househ. (1790) 229 To the intent the decomptants..may take out the Solutions entred into the said Bookes whereby they may strike their Lydgers. 1563–4 Sarum Churchw. Acc. (Swayne, 1896) 109 Allowans for suche solucyones. 1623 Cockeram 1, Solution, a payment. a 1722 Sir J. Lauder Decisions Suppl. (1826) III. 280 It neither being by solution, nor other transaction, importing the consent of the creditor thereto. |
4. The action of discharging or fulfilling.
| 1869 Austin's Lect. Jurispr. lv. II. 915 The Roman Lawyers themselves talk of..the solution or the redemption of obligations. |
II. 5. a. The action of dissolving, or changing from a solid or gaseous to a liquid state, by means of a fluid or solvent; the state or fact of being so dissolved.
| 1390 Gower Conf. II. 86 Ferst of the distillacion, Forth with the congelacion, Solucion, descencion [etc.]. 1471 Ripley Comp. Alch. ii. i. in Ashm. Theatr. (1652) 135 Of Solucion now wyll I speke a word or two. 1612 Woodall Surg. Mate Wks. (1653) 274 Solution, a principal part of Chymical practice, whereby the incorporation of things coagulated, is dissolved and attenuated. a 1665 K. Digby Chym. Secr. ii. 221 Repeat these solutions seven or eight times. 1791 W. Hamilton tr. Berthollet's Dyeing I. 5 The solution of indigo in the sulphuric (vitriolic) acid. 1800 Henry Epit. Chem. (1808) 15 Mechanical agitation facilitates solution. 1870 Tyndall Lect. Electr. 2 The effect in both cases is..the solution of the zinc, and the liberation of the hydrogen gas. |
† b. The action of fusing, melting, or distilling by means of heat.
Obs. rare.
| a 1676 Hale Prim. Orig. Man. (1677) 9 They find by their solutions by Fire, some things which they call by these Names, to be that whereinto Bodies are dissolved. 1688 Holme Armoury iii. 425/1 Distillation, or Solution, is an extracting of Liquors by force of heat. |
c. transf. Fusion, combination.
| 1820 Keats St. Agnes xxxvi, The rose Blendeth its odour with the violet,—Solution sweet. |
6. a. A more or less fluid substance produced by the process of solution (see 5); a liquid or semi-liquid preparation obtained by the combination of a solid with a solvent.
| 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. iii. 60 A good solucion of salt in oile. 1677 Grew Anat. Pl. (1682) 297, I put to this Solution of Nitre, two Drachms of Sal Armoniac; which wholly and easily dissolved in the said Solution. 1705 Arbuthnot Coins, etc. (1727) 326 He commends..a Solution of Opium in Water to foment the Forehead. 1790 Phil. Trans. 359 note, I have therefore confined the word solution to express the substance dissolved together with its solvent. 1811 A. T. Thomson Lond. Disp. (1818) 469 A solution of lime should be put into the last bottle. 1855 Orr's Circ. Sci., Elem. Chem. 13 We..term the liquid which is obtained a solution of salt in water. 1875 Darwin Insectiv. Plants v. 80 Drops of a solution about as thick as milk. |
| fig. 1858 O. W. Holmes Aut. Breakf.-t. iii. 24 Society is a strong solution of books. |
b. = rubber solution s.v. rubber n.1 14.
| 1897 A. C. Pemberton Complete Cyclist vii. 190 The edges of the cut must be well cleaned and coated with solution. 1930 F. Gardner How to repair your Cycle 20 Spread a thin layer of solution over the part that has been rubbed. 1974 S. Townroe How to mend your Bike 44 Never put on the patch until the solution has dried. |
7. A dissolved state or condition. Freq.
state of solution.
| (a) 1802 Paley Nat. Theol. xxi. §3 (1819) 333 Keeping things in a state of solution, that is to say, in a state of fluidity. 1837 P. Keith Bot. Lex. 90 Animal or vegetable substances in a state of solution. 1878 Huxley Physiogr. 115 Certain chemical compounds in a state of solution. |
| transf. 1859 Habits Gd. Society v. 211 Their partners appear in a most disagreeable condition of solution. |
| (b) 1802 Playfair Illustr. Huttonian Th. Earth 494 The volume of the water..necessary to hold in solution the materials of this shell. 1856 Ruskin Mod. Paint. IV. v. ix. §4 As they congealed from their fluid state, whether of watery solution or fiery fusion. 1878 Huxley Physiogr. 202 The water generally holds silica in solution. |
| fig. 1870 Lowell Among my Bks. Ser. i. 297 His [sc. Lessing's] was a mind always in solution. 1877 Talmage Serm. 338 A tear..is agony in solution. |
8. attrib., as
solution jar,
solution lake,
solution-tub.
| 1867 Tomlinson's Cycl. Usef. Arts App. 14/1 The mouth of the solution jar was again closed. 1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Min. 393 The liquid which runs out of the solution-tubs runs into tanks. |
b. Physical Geogr. Denoting features and phenomena resulting from the solvent action of water, as
solution basin,
solution depression,
solution subsidence, etc.
| 1894 Pop. Sci. Monthly June 281 In lime-stone countries, solution lakes are not uncommon. 1931 Jrnl. Geol. XXXIX. 641 (heading) Solution depressions in sandy sediments of the coastal plain in South Carolina. 1934 C. R. Longwell et al. Outl. Physical Geol. iv. 73 In some regions sinks, caverns, and solution valleys are so numerous that they give rise to a peculiar and characteristic topography with many surface depressions, irregular drainage patterns, and disappearing streams. 1939 A. K. Lobeck Geomorphol. iv. 145 Very large sinks or areas of depression are known as solution basins. 1954 Geol. Mag. XCI. 225 A lowering of surface by solution subsidence has been proceeding more or less continuously since Triassic times on this high moorland terrain. 1957 E. E. Evans Irish Folk Ways ii. 18 The lowland of which it is the centre is..diversified by occasional low hills, by intricate solution lakes and by glacial eskers. 1977 Antiquaries Jrnl. LVII. 189 Three large masses..recovered from red clay-with-flints filling a solution pipe at Aston Rowant (Oxon.). |
III. 9. solution of continuity:
a. Med. (Also
solution of connexion,
solution of unity.) The separation from each other of normally continuous parts of the body by external or internal causes.
| 1541 R. Copland Galyen's Terap. 2 A ij, We haue sayd that there is a kynde of dysease, that is called solution of contynuyte. Ibid., There be other kyndes of solutions of continuite. 1625 Bacon Ess., Of Vnity in Relig. (Arb.) 423 As in the Naturall Body, a Wound or Solution of Continuity is worse then a Corrupt Humor. 1656 Ridgley Pract. Physick 44 This proceeds from solution of continuity of the Veins and Arteries. 1668 Culpepper & Cole Barthol. Anat. i. xxviii. 67 In which case also it is necessary that there be a Solution of the Connexion of the Neck. 1707 Floyer Physic. Pulse-Watch 101 The organic Diseases, and the solution of Unity, must be known by the Signs of the particular Diseases. 1748 Hartley Observ. Man i. i. §1. 36 In manifest Solutions of Continuity occasioned by Wounds, Burns, &c. 1818 E. Thompson Cullen's Nosologia Meth. (1820) 264 Vulnus, a recent, bloody solution of continuity in a soft part, by a hard body. 1835–6 Todd's Cycl. Anat. I. 794/1 The consequent solution of connection between the various parts of the body. |
| ellipt. 1580 Blundevil Horsemanship T iij b, If such solution or diuision be in a bone, then is it called a fracture. 1612 Woodall Surg. Mate Wks. (1653) 86 The solution of a Veine is known by blood of red colour and thick substance. |
b. transf. and
fig. A breach, break, or interruption.
| 1654 Bramhall Just Vind. ii. (1661) 14 Schisme is..a solution of continuity in the body Ecclesiastick. 1656 tr. Hobbes' Elem. Philos. (1839) 475 Even the hardest things are broken asunder..by solution of their continuity begun in the outermost superficies. 1707 Curiosities Husb. & Gard. 77 The Solution of Continuity may hinder the Juice from mounting. 1750 Franklin Lett. Wks. 1840 V. 243 If there be the least crack, the minutest solution of continuity in the glass. 1799 E. Du Bois Piece Family Biog. II. 201 Some there are..who, admitting no solution of continuity in their story, deny any place of rest to..the wearied reader. 1819 Scott Leg. Montrose xxiii. Rents, and open seams,..might presage a similar solution of continuity in your matrimonial happiness. 1863 Tyndall Heat xii. 408 Magnificent gradations of color, one fading into another without solution of continuity. 1886 Manch. Exam. 9 Jan. 5/3 There will be no solution of continuity in this important department of public affairs. |
10. The action of breaking up or separating; dissolution; bringing to an end.
| 1655 Vaughan Silex Scint. L'Envoy, Frustrate those cancerous, close arts, Which cause solution in all parts, And strike them dumb. 1664 H. More Myst. Iniq. iii. 6 The Death of Christ upon the Cross was the solution of the Ceremonial Law of Moses. 1689 Locke Civil Govt. §80 (1694) 225 Easie and frequent Solutions of Conjugal Society. 1899 Westm. Gaz. 30 Oct. 2/1 That Boer policy had not for its aim the solution of British supremacy in South Africa. |
† 11. The action of rendering loose or slack.
Obs.| 1681 tr. Willis' Remaining Med. Wks. Vocab., Solution, a loosning or weakning, as of the nerves or joynts. |
IV. 12. Special
Combs.:
solution heat treatment = solution treatment below;
solution set Math., the set of all the solutions of some equation or condition;
solution treatment Metallurgy, a process designed to render an alloy susceptible to age-hardening, by which it is first heated to make a particular constituent enter into solid solution and then quenched; so
solution-treat v. trans.,
solution-treated ppl. a.| 1935 G. E. Doan Princ. Physical Metallurgy vi. 192 This heating and quenching is called the ‘solution heat treatment’. 1979 J. Neely Pract. Metallurgy & Materials of Industry xiv. 187/2 Successful heat treatment depends on putting the copper into solid solution and trapping it there. |
| 1959 Allendoerfer & Oakley Fund. Math. vi. 102 Given a universal set X and an equation F(x) = G(x) involving x, the set {ob}x{vb}F(x) = G(x){cb} is called the solution set of the given equation. 1963 Webber & Brown Basic Concepts Math. viii. 166 The truth set of an equation is often called the solution set, and members of the solution set are called solutions of the equation. 1972 A. G. Howson Handbk. Terms Algebra & Anal. i. 5 Those objects of a given set which satisfy an open statement form the solution set of the statement relative to that set. Thus the solution set of x2 = 2 relative to the real numbers is the set {ob}+√2, -√2{cb}. Relative to the rational numbers.., the solution set of x2 = 2 is empty. |
| 1940 J. D. Jevons Metall. of Deep Drawing & Pressing xv. 577 Rolled sheet could be ‘solution-treated’ to place it in a ductile condition. 1977 R. B. Ross Handbk. Metal Treatment & Testing 207 Components which have been correctly Solution treated and aged are very often joined by [welding]. |
| 1952 Jrnl. R. Aeronaut. Soc. LVI. 235/1 With highly tapered spar booms it is advisable to machine in the solution-treated condition in order that any correction..may be made before precipitation. |
| 1931 Metallurgist VII. 12/2 The age hardening..of duralumin and a number of other alloys of similar type requires a previous heat treatment, which is frequently termed the ‘solution’ treatment. 1970 P. C. Varley Technol. of Aluminium & its Alloys v. 62 All solution treatment is carried out in forced air circulation furnaces. |
Hence
soˈlutional a., pertaining to a solution.
| 1903 Nature 3 Dec. 103/2 The persistence of the solutional nucleus. |
▪ II. solution, v. (
səˈl(j)uːʃən)
[f. the n.] trans. To treat with, fasten or secure by, a solution.
| 1891 Pall Mall G. 15 Oct. 1/3 A further improvement..will dispense with the need for solutioning the canvas. 1898 Cycling 63 They should preferably not be vulcanised but merely solutioned together. |