n.1 a resolute temper or character; boldness and firmness of purpose.
2 a thing resolved on; an intention (New Year's resolutions).
3 a a formal expression of opinion or intention by a legislative body or public meeting. b the formulation of this (passed a resolution).
4 (usu. foll. by of) the act or an instance of solving doubt or a problem or question (towards a resolution of the difficulty).
5 a separation into components; decomposition. b the replacing of a single force etc. by two or more jointly equivalent to it.
6 (foll. by into) analysis; conversion into another form.
7 Mus. the act or an instance of causing discord to pass into concord.
8 Physics etc. the smallest interval measurable by a scientific instrument; the resolving power.
9 Med. the disappearance of inflammation etc. without suppuration.
10 Prosody the substitution of two short syllables for one long.
Etymology: ME f. L resolutio (as RESOLVE)