From Latin solvere 'to loosen, dissolve, pay,' uniting the chemical sense of dissolving and the financial sense of debt discharge.
A liquid capable of dissolving other substances, or an adjective meaning having enough money to pay all debts.
From Latin solventem, present participle of solvere 'to loosen, dissolve, pay,' from se- 'apart' + luere 'to wash, release.' The chemical sense (a liquid that dissolves) and the financial sense (able to pay debts) both derive from the same Latin verb—dissolving a substance and discharging a debt are parallel acts of 'loosening.' Key roots: *se- (Proto-Indo-European: "apart, aside"), *lew- (Proto-Indo-European: "to loosen, divide, cut apart").