Resolve: Determination, and Taking Something Apart
To resolve is to settle something or to decide firmly. The Latin means to loosen, which links it to solve, dissolve and absolve.
To resolve is to settle a problem, or to decide firmly to do something. The Latin *resolvere* means to loosen or untie, and the family shows it: *solve* undoes a problem, *dissolve* undoes a solid, *absolve* undoes a guilt. Resolving a dispute unties it.
- To settle or solve. *Resolve the dispute.*
- To decide firmly. *She resolved to start again.*
- Determination. *He showed great resolve.*
- Resolution — the detail an image shows. *A high-resolution photograph.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | resolve | Resolve the issue. |
| Past | resolved | Resolved amicably. |
| Noun | resolve | Firm resolve. |
| Noun | resolution | A New Year resolution. |
| Adjective | resolute | A resolute refusal. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The matter was resolved out of court.Settled.
- The meeting resolved to postpone the vote.Formally decided.
- The image lacks resolution.Detail, from the sense of separating things.
The loosening family
- Solve — loosen a problem
- Dissolve — loosen apart in liquid
- Absolve — loosen from blame
- Resolve — untie, settle, or decide
- Solution — the result, in both senses
From Latin *resolvere*, to loosen or release, from *re-* and *solvere*, to loosen. *Resolution* meaning image detail comes from the sense of separating close things so they can be told apart.
Why does resolution mean image detail?
Because a lens or sensor resolves — separates — details that would otherwise blur together. High resolution separates more.
Resolve or solve?
Solve suits problems with answers. Resolve suits disputes and situations, where the outcome is settlement rather than a solution.