To alter; alter (sth.) in form or nature by the application of some physical process or force such as heat, moisture, etc.: (a) to diminish, dissolve, lose substance; break (sth.) down into its constituent elements; separate (sth.) into its component parts, disintegrate, reduce to dust; also, produce (sth.) by such process of disintegration; (b) to melt; melt (sth.) by heat; reduce (sth.) to a liquid state, liquefy; also, soften (sth. by heat); (c) to dissolve (sth.) in a liquid; also, suspend (solids in a liquid), steep; ~ in-to a pot, set (sth.) to dissolve in a pot; (d) to resolve (vapor, smoke, etc.) out of a liquid or solid, vaporize (sth.); give off (a vapor); (e) to condense (vapor) into a liquid state; also fig.; (f) fig. ben resolved in-to teres, to be dissolved in tears, weep copiously.

(a) Fig. To loosen (sth.), unbind; dissolve (the accord of body and spirit); ben resolved, be relaxed, become frivolous; resolved inwit, ?a relaxed mind, slack mind; (b) to destroy (sth.); also, disperse (weight), dissipate; (c) of a river: to flow out, emerge.

To temper (a substance with sth.), blend (sth. into sth. else) so as to produce a proper mixture.

(a) To answer (a question), resolve (a problem in one's mind); (b) to reduce (sth.) by mental analysis into its basic forms: geom. ~ in triangles, reduce (a figure) into component triangles; gram. render (a grammatical construction); ~ in-to wordes (a verb), render (sth.) by words (a verb).

Med. & physiol.: (a) To cause softening or dissolving of hard tumors, apostemes, etc.; of matter: soften, dissolve, dissipate; ppl. resolving as adj.: causing softening or loosening; (b) to soften (a hard tumor, an aposteme, etc.); dissipate (a humor, matter, etc.), dissolve; loosen (constriction), relax.