upplösa

Upplösa is a Swedish verb meaning to dissolve, to liquidate, or to break up something into parts. It is used in both scientific contexts, such as chemistry, and in organizational or legal contexts, describing the process by which a substance dissolves in a solvent or a body, agreement, or company is dissolved.

Etymology and related forms: Upplösa is formed from the prefix up- and the verb lösa, meaning to release or to solve. Related nouns include upplösning, which refers to dissolution or a formal dissolution of an entity, and the past participle upplöst, meaning dissolved. The more common explicit form for many dissolving actions in everyday Swedish is lösa upp, a separable verb phrase.

Usage: In chemistry, one says that a substance löser upp or löses upp in a solvent, meaning it dissolves into its constituent parts. In legal or corporate language, facilities or companies can upplösas, or be dissolved, through liquidation or other formal processes. The term can also appear in phrases referring to the dissolution of contracts or organizations, for example, a decision to enact an upplösning of an agreement.

See also: upplösning, lösa upp, lösning. The word upplösning is distinct from lösning, the latter meaning a chemical solution rather than dissolution, though both share the common root related to making something less whole.