Word of the Day : February 17, 2021

indissoluble \in-dih-SAHL-yuh-bul\ adjective

Definition

: not dissoluble; especially : incapable of being annulled, undone, or broken : permanent

Did You Know?

Indissoluble and its antonym dissoluble ("capable of being dissolved or disintegrated") both date their first print appearances to the 16th century, and both owe a debt to Latin dissolubilis, which means "dissoluble; capable of being dissolved." While the word dissolve in that gloss may call to mind the chemical process by which something mixed with a liquid becomes part of the liquid (as when salt or sugar dissolve in water), indissoluble primarily relates to other meanings of dissolve: "destroy" and "disintegrate," "terminate" and "annul." Something indissoluble—such as a treaty, contract, or vow—is permanent. The English word dissolve, in all its meanings, is a cousin to indissoluble and dissoluble. Dissolubilis derives from Latin dissolvere (from dis- + solvere, "to loosen") the source of our word dissolve.

Aired February 17, 2021

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