solstice

Where does the word "solstice" come from? It comes from Latin solstitium, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).

Solstice’s story begins in Latin: solstitium meant “the sun standing still.” Literally sun standing still, from sol (sun) and sistere (to stand). It reached English by 1200s as solstice. Settled as the English word for the day when the sun's path pauses in its shift. Today, solstice means either of the two times a year when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient solstitium "the sun standing still", literally sun standing still, from sol (sun) and sistere (to stand).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1200s solstice "the point at which the sun is furthest from the equator", settled as the English word for the day when the sun's path pauses in its shift.