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Mar 21, 2017
This week’s theme
Words from chemistry

This week’s words
osmosis
solvent
caustic
bromidic
miscible

solvent joke
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A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

solvent

PRONUNCIATION:
(SOL-vuhnt)

MEANING:
adjective:1. Able to pay one’s debts.
 2. Able to dissolve another substance.
noun:1. Something that dissolves another.
 2. Something that solves a problem.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin solvere (to loosen, to dissolve, to pay). Ultimately from the Indo-European root leu- (to loosen, divide), which also gave us forlorn, lag, loss, solve, analysis, resolute, and catalyst. Earliest documented use: 1653.

USAGE:
“They were solvent, yes, but they had to watch the pennies still.”
Jessie Keane; Dangerous; Pan Macmillan; 2015.

See more usage examples of solvent in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace. -Benito Juárez, President of Mexico (21 Mar 1806-1872)

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