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.
[ ME f. L resolutio (as RESOLVE) ]