Definition of "solvent" [sol•vent]

• Capable of meeting financial obligations. (adjective)
• Chemistry Capable of dissolving another substance. (adjective)
• Chemistry A substance in which another substance is dissolved, forming a solution. (noun)
• Chemistry A substance, usually a liquid, capable of dissolving another substance. (noun)
• Something that solves or explains. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Macdonald R. et al. [7] suggest that there are two distinct concentrating processes, which they term solvent switching and solvent depletion."
• "The word solvent has appeared in 110 New York Times articles in the past year, including on Aug. 20 in "Uncertainty in Courthouse Fogs the View at the Stadium," by George Vecsey:"
• "Those should be cleaned in solvent, allowed to dry, then lubricated with no more than two small drops of low-­viscosity oil."