Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
 
Help
Related Searches
Nearby Words

Solstice

 - 4 dictionary results
Solstice Official Site
Research the Solstice From Pontiac: Designed for Action.
www.Pontiac.com/Solstice
Solstice Overstock Sale
Find Overstocked Pontiac Dealers. They Slashed Prices to Clear Lots!
www.cars-newyork.com/Pontiac

sol⋅stice

  [sol-stis, sohl-]
Use Solstice in a Sentence
–noun
1. Astronomy.
a. either of the two times a year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator: about June 21, when the sun reaches its northernmost point on the celestial sphere, or about December 22, when it reaches its southernmost point. Compare summer solstice, winter solstice.
b. either of the two points in the ecliptic farthest from the equator.
2. a furthest or culminating point; a turning point.
Origin:
1200–50; < ME < OF < L sōlstitium, equiv. to sōl sun + -stit-, comb. form of stat-, var. s. of sistere to make stand (see stand ) + -ium -ium; see -ice )
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Solstice
Solstice Official Site
Research the Solstice From Pontiac: Designed for Action.
www.Pontiac.com/Solstice
Solstice Overstock Sale
Find Overstocked Pontiac Dealers. They Slashed Prices to Clear Lots!
www.cars-newyork.com/Pontiac
sol·stice   (sŏl'stĭs, sōl'-, sôl'-)   
n.  

  1. Either of two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator. The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs about June 21, when the sun is in the zenith at the tropic of Cancer; the winter solstice occurs about December 21, when the sun is over the tropic of Capricorn. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year and the winter solstice is the shortest.

  2. A highest point or culmination.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sōlstitium : sōl, sun; see sāwel- in Indo-European roots + -stitium, a stoppage; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]
sol·sti'tial (-stĭsh'əl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

solstice [(sol-stuhs, sohl-stuhs)]

The two occasions each year when the position of the sun at a given time of day does not seem to change direction. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs around June 21 and is the longest day of the year. The sun stops getting higher in the sky, and the days begin to grow shorter. The winter solstice, which occurs around December 21, is the shortest day. The sun stops getting lower in the sky, and the days begin to grow longer.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

solstice 
c.1250, from O.Fr. solstice, from L. solstitium "point at which the sun seems to stand still," from sol "sun" (see sol) + pp. stem of sistere "to come to a stop, make stand still" (see assist).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see Solstice on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way