Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "solve" come from? It comes from Latin solvere, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "solve" come from? It comes from Latin solvere, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).
Solve’s story begins in Latin: solvere meant “to loosen.” The root of 'dissolve' and 'absolve'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as soudre. It reached English by 1400s as solve. Puzzle 'solving' dates from the 1500s. Today, solve means to find an answer to.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient solvere "to loosen", the root of 'dissolve' and 'absolve'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval soudre "to loosen, pay", .
- Stage 3 · English · 1400s solve "to loosen", puzzle 'solving' dates from the 1500s.