Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “solstice” come from?

Solstice comes from Middle English solstice, from Old French solstice, from Latin solstitium, literally "sun-standing," from sóh₂wl̥ "sun" and steh₂- "to stand" in Proto-Indo-European.

solstice (English): One of the two points in the ecliptic at which...

Definitions

  1. One of the two points in the ecliptic at which...

Ancestry of “solstice”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsolstice—
2Old Frenchsolsticesolstice
3Latinsōlstitium—
4Latin-iumSuffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes...
5Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
6Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
7Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →