solução

Forms

solução f (plural soluções)^[1] The oldest records write soluçom (14th century) and solucam (15th century).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin solūtiō (“a loosening, dissolving; release; payment”), first recorded in the 14th century as Old Galician-Portuguese soluçom.^[2][3][1] Wiktionary calls it a learned borrowing, while Nascentes says it came by a semi-learned route.^[1][4] The Latin noun is formed from solvō (“to loosen, untie; to solve; to pay”) with the suffix -tiō.^[1][5]

The same Latin word was taken into the other Romance languages as Spanish solución, Catalan solució, Italian soluzione and Romanian soluție.^[1][6]

Semantic evolution

Houaiss gives as the basic sense the act or effect of the verb solver, to loosen or resolve.^[2] Bluteau's dictionary explains the word first as a philosophers' and surgeons' term: the separation of parts that are naturally joined, so that a wound is a solução de continuidade; he also gives the chemists' and physicians' sense, the breaking down of a mixed body into its parts by fire, spirit of wine or acids.^[7] Morais (1789) lists the chemical sense together with “explanation of a difficulty” and “resolution of a problem”.^[8]

Vieira added the liquid that results from dissolving a solid and kept solução de continuidade as a surgical term for wounds and fractures.^[9] The sense “final payment of a debt” is in Houaiss and Aulete; the Academia's dictionary marks it as no longer used.^[2][10][11] Today the commonest sense is the way out of a problem or difficulty.^[2][12]

Timeline

• 14th century – first records, spelt soluçom.^[2][3]
• 15th century – the spelling solucam.^[2]
• 1712–1728 – Bluteau explains solução de continuidade and the chemical sense.^[7]
• 1789 – Morais gives the chemical sense, “explanation of a difficulty” and “resolution of a problem”.^[8]
• 1871–1874 – Vieira defines the liquid resulting from a solution.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A solution: what solves a problem or overcomes a difficulty; a way out, a resource (recurso).^[2][12][1]
2. The correct answer to a question, test or problem.^[2][10]
3. (mathematics) The set of operations that leads to the result of a problem or equation, or the values that satisfy it.^[2][13]
4. (chemistry, physics) A homogeneous mixture of two or more substances;^[2][11] (pharmacy) a liquid with soluble substances dissolved in it.^[2][11]
5. A separation of things that were or are naturally joined; a break or interruption: solução de continuidade.^[2][11]
6. The conclusion or outcome of a matter.^[12][11]
7. The word or phrase reached by working out a riddle or puzzle.^[2][14]
8. (dated) The final payment of a debt.^[2][11]

Word family

• solucionar

Related words

• solver
• solúvel
• dissolução
• resolução
• Latin solūtiō
• Spanish solución

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. solução
3. ^ a b c Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. solução
4. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. solução
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. solutio
6. ^ Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. solución
7. ^ a b Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. solução
8. ^ a b Silva, António de Morais (1789), Diccionario da lingua portugueza composto pelo padre D. Rafael Bluteau, reformado, e accrescentado, 2 vols., Lisboa: Simão Thaddeo Ferreira, p. 2, 416
9. ^ a b Vieira, Frei Domingos (1871–1874), Grande Diccionario Portuguez ou Thesouro da lingua portugueza, 5 vols., Porto: Ernesto Chardron e Bartholomeu H. de Moraes, p. 5, 581
10. ^ a b Aulete, Francisco Júlio Caldas, Dicionário contemporâneo da língua portuguesa (1st ed. 1881), online as Aulete Digital, Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, https://aulete.com.br, p. s.v. solução
11. ^ a b c d e f Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, revised online edition (2023–) of the Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa Contemporânea (2001), https://dicionario.acad-ciencias.pt, p. s.v. solução
12. ^ a b c Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. solução
13. ^ Michaelis: Moderno Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, São Paulo: Melhoramentos (online as Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa, https://michaelis.uol.com.br), p. s.v. solução
14. ^ Porto Editora (2013), Grande Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, Porto: Porto Editora, p. 8610