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v. dis·solved, dis·solv·ing, dis·solves v.tr. 1. a. To cause to pass into solution: dissolve salt in water. b. To reduce (solid matter) to liquid form; melt. c. To cause to lose definition; blend or blur: "Morality has finally been dissolved in pity" (Leslie Fiedler). 2. a. To cause to disappear or vanish; dispel: The sun dissolved the fog. That remark dissolved the tension in the room. b. To break into component parts; disintegrate: The deal dissolved the company into three separate businesses. c. To bring to an end, as by breaking up; terminate or annul: "General de Gaulle was returned to power ... with a mandate to dissolve an overseas empire that had turned into a nightmare" (Alison Jolly). d. To dismiss (an assembly such as a legislative body). 3. To cause to be moved emotionally or upset. v.intr. 1. a. To pass into solution: Salt dissolves easily in water. b. To become liquid; melt: The clumps of snow dissolved into puddles. c. To lose definition; become blurred or indistinguishable: "The last shadows have dissolved into darkness" (Daniel Blajan). 2. a. To become disintegrated; disappear: The mist dissolves as the sun rises. b. To be broken up into separate parts: The empire dissolved into many separate countries. c. To be brought to an end; be annulled or terminated: After a long separation, the marriage finally dissolved. 3. To be moved or overcome emotionally: I dissolved into helpless laughter. 4. To make a transition between shots in a cinematic work using a superimposition in which the first shot fades out while the second shot gradually appears. n. A transition in a cinematic work consisting of a superimposition in which the first shot fades out while the second shot gradually appears. Also called lap dissolve. [Middle English dissolven, from Latin dissolvere : dis-, dis- + solvere, to release; see leu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] dis·solva·ble adj. dis·solver n. |
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