solemn

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English

WOTD – 10 March 2021

Etymology

From Middle English solempne, solemne (“performed with religious ceremony or reverence; devoted to religious observances, sacred; ceremonious, formal; of a vow: made under a religious sanction, binding; religious celebration, celebration of a feast day; famous, well-known; important; grand, imposing; awe-inspiring, impressive; grave, serious; dignified; enunciated or held formally”) ,[1] from Old French solempne, solemne (“serious, solemn”) , or from its etymon Late Latin sōlempnis, sōlennis, from Latin sōlemnis, from sollemnis (“appointed, established, fixed; common, customary, ordinary, ritual, traditional, usual; ceremonial, religious, solemn; festive; annual, yearly”) . The further etymology is uncertain;[2] sollus (“entire, whole”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“whole”)) + epulum (“banquet, feast”) (in the sense of a ritual; perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- (“to eat”)) has been suggested.

Pronunciation

Adjective

solemn (comparative solemner or more solemn, superlative solemnest or most solemn)

  1. (religion, specifically Christianity) Of or pertaining to religious ceremonies and rites; (generally) religious in nature; sacred.
  2. (by extension)
    1. Characterized by or performed with appropriate or great ceremony or formality.
      • 1993, Miklós Boskovits, The Origins of Florentine Painting, 1100-1270, volume 1, page 33:
        Whereas the accentuated linearism, the angular stylization of the folds, the rhythmical course of the outlining and the solemn frontality conjoined with an air of regality in the pose seem to recall the formal repertory of the Corbolinus Master and his group […]
    2. Deeply serious and sombre; grave.
      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:serious
      Antonyms: lighthearted, unserious
    3. Inspiring serious feelings or thoughts; sombrely impressive.
      Synonym: awe-inspiring
    4. (obsolete) Cheerless, gloomy, sombre.
      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cheerless
      Antonyms: cheerful; see also Thesaurus:blissful

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. ^ “solempne, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  2. ^ “solemn, adj. (adv. and n.)”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1913; “solemn, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

Anagrams

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sollemnis.

Pronunciation

Adjective

solemn m or n (feminine singular solemnă, masculine plural solemni, feminine and neuter plural solemne)

  1. solemn, grave, serious
    Synonyms: grav, serios
  2. impressive, exalted
  3. festive, celebratory
    Synonyms: festiv, sărbătoresc

Declension

singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative-
accusative 		indefinite solemn solemnă solemni solemne
definite solemnul solemna solemnii solemnele
genitive-
dative 		indefinite solemn solemne solemni solemne
definite solemnului solemnei solemnilor solemnelor
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