solstice
[sol-stis, sohl-]
- Astronomy.
- 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.
- either of the two points in the ecliptic farthest from the equator.
- a furthest or culminating point; a turning point.
Origin of solstice
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for solstice
Contemporary Examples
Next, Murillo opens a bottle of their Special Edition, which they distill every six months on the solstice.
As the winter solstice brought the start of the longest night of the year, it also seemed the darkest along West 60th Street.
So there we have it—pregnant virgins galore on this happy winter solstice celebration.
Mars enters Gemini, on the Solstice, Tuesday, inspiring lust in/for someone who might be considered too close for comfort.
Jupiter in Taurus makes magical links to Neptune and the Sun on the Summer Solstice, Tuesday.
Historical Examples
For a few moments the sun stands at the summer solstice—its highest point.
The QuestFrederik van Eeden
The time of their incursion is from the summer solstice to the middle of winter.
As early as the winter solstice the cold began to make itself felt.
Everyday ObjectsW. H. Davenport Adams
They ripen at the beginning of autumn, and last till after the solstice.
The Pears of New YorkU. P. Hedrick
They ripen in autumn and sometimes last almost to the winter solstice.
The Pears of New YorkU. P. Hedrick
solstice
- either the shortest day of the year (winter solstice) or the longest day of the year (summer solstice)
- either of the two points on the ecliptic at which the sun is overhead at the tropic of Cancer or Capricorn at the summer and winter solstices
Word Origin
C13: via Old French from Latin sōlstitium, literally: the (apparent) standing still of the sun, from sōl sun + sistere to stand still
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for solstice
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
solstice
[sŏl′stĭs, sōl′-]
- Either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the ecliptic (the apparent path of the Sun) reaches its greatest distance north or south of the celestial equator.♦ The northernmost point of the Sun's path, called the summer solstice, lies on the Tropic of Cancer at 23°27′ north latitude.♦ The southernmost point of the Sun's path, called the winter solstice, lies on the Tropic of Capricorn at 23°27′ south latitude.
- Either of the two corresponding moments of the year when the Sun is directly above either the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn. The summer solstice occurs on June 20 or 21 and the winter solstice on December 21 or 22, marking the beginning of summer and winter in the Northern Hemisphere (and the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere). The days on which a solstice falls have the greatest difference of the year between the hours of daylight and darkness, with the most daylight hours at the beginning of summer and the most darkness at the beginning of winter. Compare equinox.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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 New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.