Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - solve

 verb  (~d; solving)  Etymology: Middle English, to loosen, from Latin ~re to loosen, ~, dis~, from sed-, se- apart + luere to release — more at secede, lose  Date: circa 1533  transitive verb  1. to find a solution, explanation, or answer for ~ a problem ~d the crime  2. to pay (as a debt) in full  intransitive verb to ~ something substitute and ~ for x  • ~r noun