Etymologically
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unsolved

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 1 November 2026 at 00:22. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ʌnˈsɒlvd/[1]
  • US: /ʌnˈsɑlvd/, /ʌnˈsɔlvd/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + solved, with the past participle of solve.[2][3][4] The verb is from Latin solvō (“to loosen, dissolve”).[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not explained or cleared up: 1665, in the preface to R. Howard's Four New Plays.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Johnson (1755) defined it as "not explicated" and quoted Watts on perplexities that had "hitherto been unsolved".[5] The related unsolvable, insoluble, is recorded from the 1680s.[4] It is now used especially of crimes, mysteries and problems that have not been solved.[3][6]

Timeline

  • 1665 – not explained or cleared up.[2][4]
  • 1680s – unsolvable, that cannot be solved.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not yet solved, explained or cleared up: The disappearance of the yacht is still unsolved.[6][3][7]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ The Chambers Dictionary (2014), 13th ed., Edinburgh: Chambers