From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsolsticesol‧stice /ˈsɒlstɪs $ ˈsɑːl-/ noun [countable] TMCthe time when the sun is furthest north or south of the equatorthe summer/winter solstice (=the longest or shortest day of the year) → equinox
Examples from the Corpus
solstice• For instance, by the summer solstice on 21 June, the crops should be long since planted in the ground.• This was probably based on careful observation of the summer solstice.• Astronomers say that many of the medicine wheels on the Great Plains are aligned to the summer solstice.• The day of my visit was the summer solstice, June 21.• In these long summer evenings around the solstice there is a sense that night really begins and ends in the woods.• Such formations are believed to have been used for determining the solstices and other events and are quite rare.• A mild example of this from antiquity was the Roman Saturnalia at the time of the winter solstice.the summer/winter solstice• At the winter solstice two daggers touch the outsides of the spiral.• For instance, by the summer solstice on 21 June, the crops should be long since planted in the ground.• This was probably based on careful observation of the summer solstice.• A mild example of this from antiquity was the Roman Saturnalia at the time of the winter solstice.• Astronomers say that many of the medicine wheels on the Great Plains are aligned to the summer solstice.• The day of my visit was the summer solstice, June 21.Origin solstice (1200-1300) Old French Latin solstitium, from sol “sun” + status, past participle of sistere “to come to a stop” 