v. & n.
v. 1 intr. make up one's mind; decide firmly (resolve to do better). 2 tr. (of circumstances etc.) cause (a person) to do this (events resolved him to leave). 3 tr. (foll. by that + clause) (of an assembly or meeting) pass a resolution by vote (the committee resolved that immediate action should be taken). 4 intr. & tr. (often foll. by into) separate or cause to separate into constituent parts; disintegrate; analyse; dissolve. 5 tr. (of optical or photographic equipment) separate or distinguish between closely adjacent objects. 6 tr. & intr. (foll. by into) convert or be converted. 7 tr. & intr. (foll. by into) reduce by mental analysis into. 8 tr. solve; explain; clear up; settle (doubt, argument, etc.). 9 tr. & intr. Mus. convert or be converted into concord. 10 tr. Med. remove (inflammation etc.) without suppuration. 11 tr. Prosody replace (a long syllable) by two short syllables. 12 tr. Mech. replace (a force etc.) by two or more jointly equivalent to it.
n. 1 a a firm mental decision or intention; a resolution (made a resolve not to go). b US a formal resolution by a legislative body or public meeting. 2 resoluteness; steadfastness. resolving power an instrument's ability to distinguish very small or very close objects. resolvable adj. resolvability n. resolver n.
[ ME f. L resolvere resolut- (as RE-, SOLVE) ]