solution

 
Pronunciation: /səˈluːʃ(ə)n/

noun

  • 1a means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation: there are no easy solutions to financial and marital problems
  • the correct answer to a puzzle: the solution to this month’s crossword
  • (solutions) products or services designed to meet a particular need: an Internet marketing firm specializing in e-commerce solutions
  • 2a liquid mixture in which the minor component (the solute) is uniformly distributed within the major component (the solvent): a solution of ammonia in water
  • [mass noun] the process or state of being dissolved in a solvent: gum tragacanth in solution is best used thinly on paper if we add aqueous ammonia to this precipitate, solution occurs
  • 3 [mass noun] archaic the action of separating or breaking down; dissolution: the solution of British supremacy in South Africa

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French, from Latin solutio(n-), from solvere 'loosen' (see solve)

Word Trends

Everyone is familiar with signs and adverts offering all manner of solutions: high-end storage solutions a leading provider of payment solutions. The usage began during the 1990s in the computer industry, where solutions were packages of software and hardware put together by IT companies to do a particular job for their customers. It is now an all-purpose word in commercial language for products, services, or companies, and is sometimes almost meaningless: frozen meal solutions are just frozen meals, after all. The term’s overuse perhaps implies a stressed, anxious society, where everyday needs are marketed as problems that require solving. See also issue (wordTrends)