Etymology

solstice

S1O1L1S1T1I1C3E1

Today it means: One of the two points in the ecliptic at which the sun is furthest from the celestial equator. This corresponds to one of two days in the year when the day is either longest or shortest. Full definition →

Middle English solstice ← Old French solstice ← Latin sōlstitium
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sóh₂wl̥
  2. Latinsōl
  3. Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*stísteh₂ti
  5. Proto-Italic*sistō
  6. Latinsistō
  7. Latinsōlstitium
  8. Old Frenchsolstice
  9. Middle Englishsolstice
  10. English todaysolstice

From Middle English solstice, from Old French solstice, from Latin sōlstitium.

Words from the same roots

Latinsōlstitium all →

sunstead

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.