gelöst

Gelöst is the past participle of lösen in German. It functions both as a participle and as an adjective, conveying senses related to solving or dissolving, and it can describe a state resulting from an action.

In chemistry and everyday language, gelöst describes a substance that has dissolved in a solvent: for example, Das Salz ist im Wasser gelöst. This usage treats gelöst as a state descriptor of a solution.

In the sense of solving or resolving a task, gelöst means “solved.” It is commonly used with a transitive sense (haben) in perfect tenses, as in Ich habe das Problem gelöst. In predicative position, as with sein, it describes the resulting state: Das Problem ist gelöst. It can also appear attributively: das gelöste Rätsel.

Beyond solving, gelöst can imply that something has been loosened or released, such as a knot or a constraint: Der Knoten ist gelöst.

Grammatically, gelöst is formed from lösen with the ge- prefix for the past participle, and its exact form in a sentence depends on the tense and the function (transitive verb usage with haben in perfect tenses; predicative or attributive use as an adjective). Its meanings overlap with the related terms Lösung (solution) and auflösen (to dissolve or to dissolve an issue).

See also: lösen, Lösung, auflösen.