solstice

UK/ˈsɒl.stɪs/US/ˈsɑl.stɪs/

nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #11,907 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: solstices

A solstice is the longest or the shortest day of the year. The summer solstice, winter solstice, at the solstice.

It is the moment the sun reaches its furthest point north or south and appears to stop before turning back, which is exactly what the name says — the Latin is sun and standing still. The earliest sunset and the latest sunrise do not fall on it, which surprises people every year.

Definitions of solstice

1nounsolsticeThe longest or the shortest day of the year.B2+
“On the summer solstice, crowds gather at Stonehenge to watch the sun rise.”

solstice is an astronomical event.

Where it comes from

Latin solstitium is sol, sun, plus a form of sistere, to stand still. The sun appears to halt before turning back.

Middle English
solstice
English, today
solstice

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Weather & Seasons

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solstice in the wild

A solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly sun path relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere.
Solstice
In many countries, the seasons of the year are defined by reference to the solstices and the equinoxes.
Solstice
The earliest sunrises and latest sunsets also occur near the date of the solstice.
Summer
Along with equinoxes, solstices mark the middle of Traditional Chinese calendar seasons.
Dongzhi
Maghe Sankranti shares similarities with solstice festivals in various other religious traditions.
Maghe Sankranti

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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