LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation

resolvō

resolvō (present infinitive resolvere, perfect active resolvī, supine resolūtum)
Classical[rɛˈsɔɫ.woː]Ecclesiastical[reˈs̬ɔl.vo]

Meaning

  1. transitiveto release, loosen, unloose, unbind, disentangle, relax, dissolve
    Tum Iūnō omnipotēns, [...] / Īrim dēmīsit Olympō,Then all-powerful Juno …, sent down Iris from Olympus, so that she could release [Dido’s] struggling soul from its clinging limbs.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.693-695
  2. transitiveto enfeeble
  3. transitiveto cancel, dispel

Conjugation conjugation 3

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.resolvōresolvēbamresolvamresolvīresolveramresolverō
2nd sg.resolvisresolvēbāsresolvēsresolvistīresolverāsresolveris
3rd sg.resolvitresolvēbatresolvetresolvitresolveratresolverit
1st pl.resolvimusresolvēbāmusresolvēmusresolvimusresolverāmusresolverimus
2nd pl.resolvitisresolvēbātisresolvētisresolvistisresolverātisresolveritis
3rd pl.resolvuntresolvēbantresolventresolvērunt
resolvēre
resolverantresolverint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.resolvamresolveremresolverimresolvissem
2nd sg.resolvāsresolverēsresolverīsresolvissēs
3rd sg.resolvatresolveretresolveritresolvisset
1st pl.resolvāmusresolverēmusresolverīmusresolvissēmus
2nd pl.resolvātisresolverētisresolverītisresolvissētis
3rd pl.resolvantresolverentresolverintresolvissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.resolvorresolvēbarresolvar
2nd sg.resolveris
resolvere
resolvēbāris
resolvēbāre
resolvēris
resolvēre
3rd sg.resolviturresolvēbāturresolvētur
1st pl.resolvimurresolvēbāmurresolvēmur
2nd pl.resolviminīresolvēbāminīresolvēminī
3rd pl.resolvunturresolvēbanturresolventur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.resolvarresolverer
2nd sg.resolvāris
resolvāre
resolverēris
resolverēre
3rd sg.resolvāturresolverētur
1st pl.resolvāmurresolverēmur
2nd pl.resolvāminīresolverēminī
3rd pl.resolvanturresolverentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.resolveresolvere
pres. 2nd pl.resolviteresolviminī
fut. 2nd sg.resolvitōresolvitor
fut. 3rd sg.resolvitōresolvitor
fut. 2nd pl.resolvitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.resolvuntōresolvuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitiveresolvereresolvī
perfect infinitiveresolvisseresolūtum esse
future infinitiveresolūtūrum esseresolūtum īrī
present participleresolvēns—
perfect participle—resolūtus
resolūta, resolūtā, resolūtae, resolūtam, resolūtārum, resolūtās, resolūte, resolūtī, resolūtīs, resolūtō, resolūtōrum, resolūtōs
future participleresolūtūrus
resolūtūra, resolūtūrā, resolūtūrae, resolūtūram, resolūtūrārum, resolūtūrās, resolūtūre, resolūtūrī, resolūtūrīs, resolūtūrō, resolūtūrōrum, resolūtūrōs, resolūtūrum
resolvendus
resolvenda, resolvendā, resolvendae, resolvendam, resolvendārum, resolvendās, resolvende, resolvendīs, resolvendōrum, resolvendōs
gerundresolvendī, resolvendō, resolvendumsupineresolūtum, resolūtū

rĕ-solvo, solvi, sŏlūtum, 3, v. a.,
I. to untie, unfasten, unbind; to loose, loosen, release, open (not freq. till after the Aug. per.; cf.: relaxo, resero, recludo, libero).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: equos, to unyoke, Ov. F. 4, 180; cf.: juncta juga leonibus, Cat. 63, 76: quem suā sponte vinxerit, non resolvat, etc., Col. 1, 8, 16; 11, 1, 22: cinctas vestes, Ov. M. 1, 382; cf. nodum, Cels. 7, 4, 4: fila, to loose, separate, Ov. M. 2, 654: vulnera, to unbind, Quint. 6, 1, 30; 49: oras, to cast loose from the shore, Liv. 22, 19, 10 Drak. N. cr.: virginem catenis, i. e. to release, Ov. M. 4, 737; cf.: crura vinclis, id. A. A. 3, 272: (puella) resoluta capillos, id. Am. 2, 14, 39: claustra, to open, Lucr. 1, 415: litteras, Liv. 26, 15: venas, Tac. A. 6, 48: jugulum mucrone, Ov. M. 1, 227: ferro, id. ib. 6, 643: manum in diversum, Quint. 11, 3, 97: fauces haec in verba, Ov. M. 2, 282; cf.: exspectato Ora sono, id. ib. 13, 126: fatis ora, Verg. G. 4, 452; and simply ora, id. A. 3, 457: ignis aurum resolvit, melts, dissolves, Lucr. 6, 967: nivem, to melt, thaw, Ov. Tr. 3, 10, 13; cf.: resolutus repente Rhenus, Suet. Dom. 6: margaritas in tabem, Plin. 9, 35, 58, § 120: glaebam in pulverem, Col. 11, 2, 60: nummos, to melt down, Lampr. Alex. Sev. 30 fin. — Poet.: nebulas ventis ac sole, to disperse, dissipate, scatter, Ov. M. 14, 400; cf. tenebras (sidere), Verg. A. 8, 591: resoluta caligo, Sil. 5, 58: Zephyro se glaeba, becomes loose or soft, Verg. G. 1, 44; Curt. 4, 6, 11: terra resoluta, Col. 4, 1, 4; 11, 3, 5: muros ariete, to break down, Sil. 5, 553: cinctos muros, id. 12, 495: saxa, id. 1, 369. —
B. In partic.
1. To relax, unnerve, enervate, enfeeble the body (cf. remitto): felicitas hos inflat, illos mollit et totos resolvit, Sen. Ep. 36, 1: (Cerberus) immania terga resolvit Fusus humi, stretched out, Verg. A. 6, 422: nexos artus, id. ib. 4, 695: utrumque (concubitus), Ov. A. A. 2, 683: corpus (somno), id. M. 7, 328: placitā resoluta quiete, id. ib. 9, 468: membra ad molles choros, Prop. 2, 34 (3, 32), 42; Curt. 4, 16, 13: fatigatione resolutus, id. 6, 8, 21; 9, 5, 10.—
2. Mostly ante-class., to pay a debt: minas, Plaut. Ep. 1, 2, 39: argentum, id. ib. 3, 2, 16; id. Men. 5, 5, 30: pro vecturā, id. As. 2, 4, 27; cf. Cato, R. R. 144, 3; 145, 1; 148, 2: damnum boni viri arbitratu resolvere, id. ib. 149, 2. —
II. Trop.
A. In gen. (acc. to I. A.), to separate, unbind, set free, release; to disclose, show, reveal, lay open; to annul, cancel, make void, abolish, destroy (syn. rescindo): ipsas periodos majoribus intervallis et velut laxioribus nodis resolvemus, Quint. 9, 4, 127: quoniam, quā fieri quicquid posset ratione, resolvi, have disclosed, shown, Lucr. 5, 773: teque piacula nulla resolvent, release, Hor. C. 1, 28, 34: amore resolutus, Tib. 1, 10, 83: (Hannibal) Quod sponte abscedat tandemque resolvat Ausoniam, liberate, Sil. 17, 206: resoluta legibus urbs, id. 11, 36: ira resoluta frenis legum, Luc. 2, 145: litem quod lite resolvit, does away with, ends, Hor. S. 2, 3, 103: invitat genialis hiems curasque resolvit, banishes, dispels, Verg. G. 1, 302: tristitiam animi, Plin. 24, 6, 15, § 24: dolos tecti ambagesque, i. e. find the way through, Verg. A. 6, 29: jura (pudoris), id. ib. 4, 27: dolos fraudesque, Sil. 7, 153: gaudia ferro, id. 13, 508: amphiboliam, to destroy, remove, Quint. 7, 9, 4: ambiguitatem, id. 12, 2, 13: dicta ex parte diversā, i. e. refute, id. 5, 13, 12: vectigal et onera commerciorum, to abolish, Tac. H. 4, 65: stipulationem, Dig. 21, 2, 57 fin.: conventionem, ib. 41, 5, 2: emptionem, ib. 18, 2, 2 et saep. —
B. In partic. (acc. to I. B.).
1. To relax, soften: disciplinam militarem, Tac. H. 1, 51: judices, Quint. 4, 2, 19; id. 8, prooem § 12. —
2. To pay: unā plagā (cf. I. B. 2. supra), Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 73 (but in Cic. Phil. 14, 14, 38, the correct reading is persoluturum). — Hence, rĕsŏlūtus, a, um, P. a. (acc. to I. B. 1.), relaxed, enervated, effeminate: corpora juvenum (with fluxa), Col. praef. § 17: minister Idaeo resolutior cinaedo, Mart. 10, 98.—
2. Free, unhampered: os, Val.Max. 8, 7, ext. 1.—
3. Unbridled: gaudia, Sil. 11, 305.—Adv.: rĕsŏlūtē, without restraint: quo resolutius decachinnetis, more unrestrainedly, Tert. ad Nat. 1, 19.

Origins

From re- (“back”) + solvō (“to loosen, unbind”).

Descendants
  • Catalanresoldre
  • Englishresolve
  • Frenchrésoudre
  • Italianresolvere
  • Italianrisolvere
  • Occitanresòlvre
  • Occitanresòlver
  • Portugueseresolver
  • Romanianrezolva
  • Spanishresolver

In English words that came into English from resolvō

  • resolveresolvō
  • resolutionresolūtiō
  • resolventresolvēns
  • resolubleresolvō

Quick answers

What does resolvō mean in Latin?
resolvō, a verb, means “to release, loosen, unloose, unbind, disentangle, relax, dissolve; to enfeeble; to cancel, dispel”.
What are the principal parts of resolvō?
resolvō, resolvere, resolvī, resolūtum (third conjugation).
How do you pronounce resolvō?
In classical Latin, [rɛˈsɔɫ.woː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [reˈs̬ɔl.vo].
Which English words come from resolvō?
English words that go back to Latin resolvō include resolve, resolvent, resoluble and resolution.