Etymology and origin of the French word solubilité
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 1753 Pott More words from the 18th century
- Ultimate origin
- Latin solvō
Etymology tree
From the same root
Forms
solubilité f (plural solubilités)[1]
Etymology
It is formed from French soluble + -ité.[2][1][3] The adjective is from Late Latin solubilis (“that can be destroyed or dissolved”), from solvō (“to dissolve”).[3][1] The TLFi notes an isolated Old French solubleté in the 13th-century Livre des simples médecines, meaning a looseness of the bowels.[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is first recorded in 1753, in the French translation of J. H. Pott's work on mineral chemistry, for the property of a body that can dissolve.[2][4]
Semantic evolution
The word has kept its chemical sense, the property of dissolving in a solvent, and also names the measured proportion in which a substance dissolves.[2][5] Coefficient de solubilité, the amount of a substance that a given quantity of solvent can dissolve, is recorded in the Larousse of 1964.[4][6]
Timeline
- 13th century – Isolated Old French solubleté.[2]
- 1753 – Solubilité in Pott's chemistry.[2][3]
- 1964 – Coefficient de solubilité in the Larousse.[4]
Meanings
Noun
- Solubility, the property of a substance that can dissolve in a solvant: la solubilité du sel dans l'eau.[2][6]
- (chemistry) The proportion in which a substance dissolves: coefficient de solubilité.[2][6]
Related words
- soluble
- insolubilité
- solubiliser
- Latin solubilis
References
- ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
- ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
- ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
- ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
- ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Solubilité.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/solubilit%C3%A9. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.
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