dissolvent
dissolvent Lexical Profile
dissolvent Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having the power or property of dissolving another substance, or causing something to break up and disintegrate.
"The chemist tested the dissolvent properties of the acid on various mineral samples."
• noun
A liquid or chemical agent capable of dissolving another substance to form a solution.
"Water is often referred to as a universal dissolvent because of how many compounds it can break down."
A force, idea, or factor that weakens, breaks up, or destroys an established institution, bond, or belief system.
"Rapid industrialization acted as a powerful dissolvent of traditional rural customs."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern chemistry and everyday usage, 'solvent' has largely replaced 'dissolvent' when referring to a liquid that dissolves another substance; 'dissolvent' is now primarily restricted to formal, literary, or figurative contexts.
• Rhymes for dissolvent
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from Latin dissolventem, the present participle of dissolvere ('to loosen apart' or 'dissolve'), formed from dis- ('apart') and solvere ('to loosen or release').