To find an answer to, explanation for, or means of dealing with a problem or mystery. To work out the answer to a mathematical problem or puzzle.
From Latin 'solvere' meaning 'to loosen, untie, or dissolve', composed of 'se-' (apart) and 'luere' (to loosen). The metaphorical sense of 'untying' a problem developed in medieval Latin before entering English in the 17th century.
The word 'solve' beautifully captures how our ancestors saw problems as knots to be untied rather than walls to be broken down. This same Latin root 'solvere' gives us 'dissolve', 'absolute', and 'resolution' - all carrying the idea of loosening or freeing something that was bound or tangled.
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