solution

/səˈluʃən/

/səˈluʃən/

Other forms: solutions

A solution is all about solving or dissolving. If you find an answer to a question, both the answer and how you got there is the solution. If you dissolve a solid into a liquid, you've created a different kind of solution.

This noun descends from Middle English solucion, from Old French, from Latin solutio, from solvere "to loosen." Think of solution both as a loosening of the chemical bonds that make something solid––when you loosen the structure of salt by mixing it into water, you create a solution. When you loosen the "knot" of a math problem you do the same thing––you loosen, untangle or solve it.

Definitions of solution

1. noun

   a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances; frequently (but not necessarily) a liquid solution
   “he used a solution of peroxide and water”

   types:

   brine

   a strong solution of salt and water used for pickling

   aqueous solution

   a solution in water

   bleach liquor

   a solution containing bleaching agents that is used to bleach textiles or paper pulp

   buffer solution

   a solution containing a buffer

   collodion

   a colorless syrupy solution of pyroxylin in ether and alcohol; used as a coating for wounds or photographic films

   chlorine water

   an aqueous solution of chlorine used as a bleaching agent

   conjugate, conjugate solution

   a mixture of two partially miscible liquids A and B produces two conjugate solutions: one of A in B and another of B in A

   dilution

   a diluted solution

   electrolyte

   a solution that conducts electricity

   eluate

   a liquid solution that results from elution

   Fehling's solution

   a liquid solution of copper sulfate and potassium tartrate and sodium hydroxide that is used to test for sugar in the urine; solution turns reddish when sugar is present

   formalin, formol

   a 10% solution of formaldehyde in water; used as a disinfectant or to preserve biological specimens

   gargle, mouthwash

   a medicated solution used for gargling and rinsing the mouth

   extract, infusion

   a solution obtained by steeping or soaking a substance (usually in water)

   injectant, injection

   any solution that is injected (as into the skin)

   isosmotic solution, isotonic solution

   a solution having the same osmotic pressure as blood

   liquid bleach

   a solution containing bleaching agents; used for laundry

   sap

   a watery solution of sugars, salts, and minerals that circulates through the vascular system of a plant

   primary solid solution, solid solution

   a homogeneous solid that can exist over a range of component chemicals; a constituent of alloys that is formed when atoms of an element are incorporated into the crystals of a metal

   sal volatile, spirits of ammonia

   a solution of ammonium carbonate in ammonia water and alcohol

   Gram's solution

   a solution used in staining bacteria by Gram's method; consists of one part iodine and two parts potassium iodide and 300 parts water

   toner

   a solution containing chemicals that can change the color of a photographic print

   Bovril, beef tea

   an extract of beef (given to people who are ill)

   black catechu, catechu

   extract of the heartwood of Acacia catechu used for dyeing and tanning and preserving fishnets and sails; formerly used medicinally

   manna

   hardened sugary exudation of various trees

   Ringer solution, Ringer's solution

   an aqueous solution containing the chlorides of sodium and potassium and calcium that is isotonic to animal tissues; used to correct dehydration and (in physiological experiments) as a medium for in vitro preparations

   saline, saline solution

   an isotonic solution of sodium chloride and distilled water

   polyelectrolyte

   an electrolyte of high molecular weight

   austenite

   a solid solution of ferric carbide or carbon in iron; cools to form pearlite or martensite

   starting buffer

   buffer solution at the start of a reaction

   PBS, phosphate buffer solution

   a solution containing a phosphate buffer

   pancreatin

   extract from the pancreas of animals that contains pancreatic enzymes; used to treat pancreatitis and other conditions involving insufficient pancreatic secretions

   ferrite

   a solid solution in which alpha iron is the solvent

   martensite

   a solid solution of carbon in alpha-iron that is formed when steel is cooled so rapidly that the change from austenite to pearlite is suppressed; responsible for the hardness of quenched steel

   double salt

   a solution of two simple salts that forms a single substance on crystallization

   type of:

   mixture

   (chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)
2. noun

   a method for solving a problem
   “the easy solution is to look it up in the handbook”

   types:

   silver bullet

   a simple guaranteed solution for a difficult problem

   type of:

   method

   a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)
3. noun

   the successful action of solving a problem
   “the solution took three hours”

   type of:

   success

   an attainment that is successful
4. noun

   a statement that solves a problem or explains how to solve the problem
   “they were trying to find a peaceful solution”

   synonyms: answer, resolution, result, solvent

   types:

   denouement, resolution

   the final resolution of the main complication of a literary or dramatic work

   type of:

   statement

   a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
5. noun

   the set of values that give a true statement when substituted into an equation
   synonyms: root

   type of:

   set

   (mathematics) an abstract collection of numbers or symbols