solemn
[ sol-uhm ]
/ ˈsɒl əm /
adjective
Origin of solemn
1275–1325; Middle English
solem(
p)
ne (< Old French) < Late Latin
sōlennis, sōlempnis, Latin
sōlemnis, variant of
sollemnis consecrated, holy, derivative of
sollus whole
SYNONYMS FOR solemn
synonym study for solemn
1. See
grave2.
historical usage of solemn
The English
solemn ultimately comes from the Latin adjective
sollemnis “performed or celebrated according to correct religious forms.”
Sollemnis has no secure etymology, but the Romans themselves thought that it came from the adjectives
sollus “whole, complete” and a derivative adjective formed from the noun
annus “year,” and therefore interpreted
sollemnis as meaning “taking place every year, annual.”
In English, the extension of solemn from applying to rites, ceremonies, holy days, or oaths to nonreligious actions or feelings arose in the mid-15th century. One imagines early religious rites and ceremonies as being (like modern ones) serious and reverential affairs, and that the individuals performing or participating in them did so with a corresponding grave and serious demeanor. So it is not hard to see how the current sense of "grave, sober, or mirthless" developed: applying first to the people who participated in religious rites, and then losing the connection with the rites themselves.
In English, the extension of solemn from applying to rites, ceremonies, holy days, or oaths to nonreligious actions or feelings arose in the mid-15th century. One imagines early religious rites and ceremonies as being (like modern ones) serious and reverential affairs, and that the individuals performing or participating in them did so with a corresponding grave and serious demeanor. So it is not hard to see how the current sense of "grave, sober, or mirthless" developed: applying first to the people who participated in religious rites, and then losing the connection with the rites themselves.
OTHER WORDS FROM solemn
Words nearby solemn
Example sentences from the Web for solemnly
British Dictionary definitions for solemnly
solemn
/ (ˈsɒləm) /
adjective
characterized or marked by seriousness or sincerity
a solemn vow
characterized by pomp, ceremony, or formality
serious, glum, or pompous
inspiring awe
a solemn occasion
performed with religious ceremony
gloomy or sombre
solemn colours
Derived forms of solemn
solemnly, adverb solemnness or solemness, nounWord Origin for solemn
C14: from Old French
solempne, from Latin
sōllemnis appointed, perhaps from
sollus whole