solemn 
How would an old Roman laugh, were it possible for 
him to see the solemn dissertations that have been made 
on these weighty subjects ! Addison, Ancient Medals, i. 
The solemn fop, significant and budge ; 
A fool with judges, amongst fools a judge. 
Cowper, Conversation, 1. 299. 
Thou say'st au undisputed thing 
In such a solemn way. 
0. W. Holmes, To an Insect. 
8. Accompanied with all due forms or cere- 
monies; made in form; formal; regular: now 
chiefly a law term: as, probate in solemn form. 
On the 16th of June, 1515, the Catholic monarch, by a 
solemn act in cortes, held at Burgos, incorporated his new 
conquests into the kingdom of Castile. 
Prescott, Ferd. and Isa., ii. 23. 
Neither in England nor in Sicily did official formalism 
acknowledge even French, much less Italian, as a fit tongue 
for solemn documents. 
E. A. Freeman, Encyc. Brit., XVII. 550. 
9. Sober; gloomy; dark: noting color or tint. 
[Bare.] 
Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, 
Nor customary suits of solemn black, . . . 
That can denote me truly. Shale., Hamlet, i. 2. 78. 
We see in needleworks and embroideries it is more 
pleasing to have a lively work upon a sad and solemn 
ground than to have a dark and melancholy work upon 
a lightsome ground. Bacon, Adversity (ed. 1887). 
Solemn degradation, in eccles. law. See degradation, 1 
(a). Solemn League and Covenant. See covenant. 
Solemn service, specifically, in the Church of England, 
a choral celebration of the communion. = 8yn. 5. August, 
venerable, grand, stately. 6. Serious, etc. (see grace3\ 
reverential, sober. 
solemnt, v. t. [< solemn, a.] To solemnize. 
[Bare.] 
They [the Lapones] solemne marriages, and begynne the 
same with fyre and flynte. 
R. Eden, tr. of Jacobus Ziglerus (First Books on America, 
[ed. Arber, p. 302). 
solemness (sol'em-nes), n. The state or charac- 
ter of being solemn; seriousness or gravity of 
manner ; solemnity. Also solemnness. 
Prithee, Virgilia, turn thy solemness out o' door and go 
along with us. Shak. , Cor., i. 3. 120. 
solemnisation, solemnise, etc. See solemnisa- 
tion, etc. 
solemnity (so-lem'ni-ti), n.; pi. solemnities 
(-tiz). [< ME. solempnitee, solempnyte, solenite, 
solempte, < OF. solempnite, sollempnite, soknnite, 
F. solennite = Sp. solemnidad = Pg. solemnidade 
= It. solennita, < L. sollemnita( t-)s, sollennita( t-)s, 
a solemnity, < sollemnis, sollennis, solemn: see 
solemn.'] 1 . A rite or ceremony performed with 
religious reverence; a ceremonial or festal oc- 
casion ; ceremony in general ; celebration ; fes- 
tivity. 
He ... broughte hire hoom with him in his centre, 
With mochel glorie and gret solempnite. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 12. 
And nowe in places colde 
Solempnitee of sheryng sheepes is holde. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 162. 
A fortnight hold we this solemnity, 
In nightly revels and new jollity. 
Shak., M. N. D., v. 1. 376. 
Use all your sports, 
All your solemnities: 'tis the king's day to-morrow, 
His birth-day and his marriage. Fletcher, Pilgrim, v. 3. 
2. The state or character of being solemn; 
gravity ; impressiveness ; solemness : as, the 
solemnity of his manner; a ceremony of great 
solemnity. 
So my state, 
Seldom but sumptuous, showed like a feast, 
And won by rareness such solemnity. 
Shak., 1 Hen. IV., iii. 2. 59. 
Have they faith 
In what with such solemnity of tone 
And gesture they propound to our belief? 
Cowper, Task, v. 648. 
3. Affected or mock gravity or seriousness ; an 
aspect of pompous importance. 
Solemnity 'a a cover for a sot. Young, Love of Fame, ii. 
4. In law, a solemn or formal observance ; the 
formality requisite to render an act valid. 
Paschal solemnity. See paschal. 
solemnizatet (so-lein'ni-zat), v. t. [< ML. so- 
lemnizatns, pp. of solemnizare, solemnize : see 
solemnize.'] To solemnize. 
solemnization (sol' / em-ni-za'shou), n. [= F. 
solennisation ; as solemnize + -ation.J The act 
of solemnizing; celebration. Also written sol- 
emnisation. 
The day and time appointed for Solemnization of Mat- 
rimony. Book of Common Prayer. 
solemnize (sol'em-niz), v. t. ; pret. and pp. sol- 
emnized, ppr. solemnizing. [Early mod. E. sol- 
empnyse, < ME. solemnysen, < OF. solempniser 
solenniser, F. solenniser = Sp. Pg. sotemnizar 
(cf. It. solenneggiare), < ML. solemnizare, solen- 
nizare, < L. sollemmx, sollennis, solemn: see 
5756 
solemn.] It. To perform annually; perform 
as the year comes round. 
As in this moone in places warm and glade 
Thl grafflng good it is to solemnyse. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 73. 
2. To honor by ceremonies; celebrate: as, to 
solemnize the birth of Christ. 
To solemnize this day the glorious sun 
Stavs in his course and plays the alchemist. 
Shak., K. John, Ui. 1. 77. 
3. To perform with ritual ceremonies, or ac- 
cording to legal forms : used especially of mar- 
riage. 
Baptism to be administered in one place, and marriage 
solemnized in another. Hooker. 
Straight shall our nuptial rites be solemnized. 
Shak.,M.otV.,li.9. 6. 
I saw a Procession that the Priests solemnized In the 
streets. Coryat, Crudities, I. 104. 
4. To render solemn ; make serious, grave, and 
reverential: as, to solemnize the mind for the 
duties of the sanctuary. 
A solemnizing twilight is the very utmost which could 
ever steal over Homer's diction. De Quincey, Homer, iii. 
Also spelled solemnise. 
=Syn.2and3. Observe, Commemorate, etc. See celebrate. 
SOlemnizet (sol'em-niz), n. [< solemnize, v.] 
Solemnization. "[Rare.] 
Fidelia and Sparanza virgins were ; 
Though snousd, yet wanting wedlocks solemnize. 
Spenser, F. Q., I. x. 4. 
solemnizer (sol'em-ni-z6r), n. [< solemnize + 
-erl.] One who solemnizes; one who performs 
a solemn rite. Also spelled solemniser. 
solemnly (sol'em-li), adv. [< ME. solemnly, 
solempnely, solenliche; < solemn + -ly 2 .] In a 
solemn manner, (o) With religious ceremonies ; rev- 
erently; devoutly. 
And the angels bifore gan gang, 
Singand all ful solempnely, 
And makaud nobill melody. 
Holy Rood (E. E. T. S.), p. 72. 
(6) With impressive seriousness. 
I do solemnly assure the reader that he is the only per- 
son from whom I have heard that objection. Swift. 
(c) With all dueform; ceremoniously; formally; regularly: 
as, this question has been solemnly decided in the highest 
courts. 
Now thou and I are new in amity, 
And will to morrow midnight solemnly 
Dance in Duke Theseus' house triumphantly. 
Shak., M. K D., iv. 1. 93. 
(d) With formal gravity, importance, or stateliness ; with 
pompous or affected gravity. 
His resons he spak ful solempnely. 
Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 274. 
The ministers of state, who gave us law, 
In corners, with selected friends, withdraw ; 
There in deaf murmurs solemnly are wise. Dryden. 
solemnness, . See solemness. 
sqlemnyt, . [< L. sollemne, pi. sollemnia, a re- 
ligious rite, festival solemnity, neut. of sollem- 
nis, religious, solemn : see solemn.] Solemnity. 
[Rare.] 
Else the glory of all these solemnies had perished like a 
blaze, and gone out, in the beholders' eyes. 
B. Jonson, Masque of Hymen. 
solempnet, . An old spelling of solemn. 
Solemya (so-lem'i-a), n. See Solenomya. 
solen (so'len), n. [NL., < L. solen, < Gr. aulr/v, 
a channel, pipe, a kind of shell-fish, perhaps the 
razor-fish.] 1. In surg., same as cradle, 4 (6) 
(2). 2. [cop.] [NL.] A genus of bivalve mol- 
lusks, typical of the family Solenidx, of which 
5. vagina, a common razor-fish of the North 
Atlantic, is the best-known species. 3. Any 
member of this genus, or a related form; a 
razor-clam, razor-fish, or razor-shell. See So- 
lenidse, and cut under Ensis. 
Solenacea (sol-e-na'se-a), n.pl. [NL., < Solen 
+ -acea.~] Same as Sblenidse. Menke, 1828. 
solenacean (sol-e-na'se-an), a. and n. [< Sole- 
nacea + -an.'] 1. a. Of or pertaining to the 
Solenacea or Solenidss; solenaceous. 
II. n. A member of the Solenacea. 
solenaceous (sol-e-na'shius), a. [< NL. Solena- 
cea + -oils.] Resembling a solen; belonging 
to the Solenacea; of or pertaining to the So- 
lenidse. 
solenarium (sol-e-na'ri-um), n.; pi. solenaria 
(-a). [NL., < Gr. auMjv, a channel, pipe, + 
-arimn.] Either of the two (right and left) 
tubes of the spiral proboscis or antlia of lepi- 
dopterous insects. Kirby and Spence. 
solen-ark (so'len-ark), n. An ark-shell of the 
subfamily Solenellinte. 
Solenella (sol-e-nel'a), n. [NL., < Solen + 
dim. -ella.J A genus" of Ledidx, typical of the 
subfamily Solenellinee. Also called Malktia. 
Solenoglypha 
Solenellinse (sol"e-ne-H'ne), n. pi. [NL., < Sol- 
enella + -inas. ] A' subfamily of Ledidse, charac- 
terized by the external ligament. Also called 
Malletiinse. 
SOleness (sol'nes), n. The state of being sole. 
alone, or unconnected with others; singleness. 
France has an advantage, . . . which is (if I may use 
the expression) its soleness, continuity of riches and power 
within itself, and the nature of its government. 
Chesterfield. (Latham.) 
SOlenette (sol-e-nef), . [< sole 2 + dim. 
-(n)ette.] A fish, the little sole, or dwarf sole, 
Solea minuta orMonoehiruslinguatulus, a Euro- 
pean flatfish, about 5 inches long, of a reddish- 
brown color on the upper side. 
Solenhofen limestone. A rock quarried at 
Solenhofen (or Solnhofen) in Bavaria. It belongs 
to the Upper or White Jura, and is of the same geological 
age as the Kimmeridge group of England. It is remark- 
able as furnishing the world with the only really satisfac- 
tory lithographic stone, and as containing an extremely 
varied and well-preserved fauna, preeminent in which are 
the remains of the earliest known bird, the archieopteryx. 
Solenidae (so-len'i-de), n.pl. [NL. (Fleming, 
1828), < Solen + -idee.'] A family of bivalve 
mollusks, typified by the genus Solen ; the razor- 
shells : so called on account of the resemblance 
of the shell in form to a razor. The animal is elon- 
gate ; the siphons are short and united ; the foot is rather 
large and more or less cylindrical ; the long slender shell 
has nearly parallel dorsal and ventral contours, and is trun- 
cate or subtruncate in front as well as behind, while the 
hinge Is nearly or quite terminal and has usually a single 
tooth in each valve ; and the pallia! line has a deep sinus. 
The species are widely distributed and numerous, belong- 
ing to several genera. See cut under Ensis. Also Sole- 
nacea. 
solenite (sol'e-nit), . [< Gr. au?.f/v, a channel, 
pipe (see solen), + -ite%.] A fossil razor-shell, 
or some similar shell. 
solenoconch (so-le'no-kongk), n. [< NL. Sole- 
noconchee.] A' tooth-shell or dentaliid, as a 
member of the Solenoconchee. 
Solenoconchse (so-le-ng-kong'ke), n.pl. [NL., 
< Gr. aohrfv, a channel, pipe, + n6yxii a, shell : 
see conch."] An order or a class of mollusks ; 
the tooth-shells: so called from the tubular 
shell. As an order, the Solenoconchee are the only order of 
the class Scaphopoda; as a class, the name is synonymous 
with the latter. See Dentaliidse. Also Prosopocephala, 
Solenoconcha. 
Solenodon (so-len'o-don), n. [NL. (Brandt, 
1833), < Gr. au/.ffv, a channel, pipe, + orfoi'c 
(bSavr-) = E. tooth,] 1. The typical and only 
genus of the family Solenodontidss, containing 
the opossum-shrews, S. paradoxus of Hayti and 
. S. cuoanus of Cuba, respectively called agottta 
and almiqui. They are insectivorous mammals, singu- 
larly resembling opossums, with a long cylindroid snout, 
long scaly tail, five toes on each foot, the fore feet with 
very long claws, the ears moderate and rounded, and the 
pelage long and harsh. See Solenodontid/e. Also Soleno- 
donta. 
2. [I, c.] A species of this genus; asolenodont. 
See almiqui, and cut under agouta. 
SOlenodont ^so-len'o-dont), a. and n. [< Solen- 
odon(t-).] I. a. Of or pertaining to the Soleno- 
dontidse, or having their characters. 
II. . A solenodon. 
Solenodontidae (so-le-no-don'ti-de), n. pi. 
[NL., < Solenodon(t-) + -idee."] A family of 
mammals, of the order Insectivora, peculiar to 
the W est Indies. It is related to the Madagascar 
Centetidee, but has the pelage without spines, the penis 
abdominal, the testes perinea!, the teats on the buttocks, 
the uterine horns ending in csecal sacs, the intestine with- 
out a csecum, the tibia and fibula distinct, the pubic 
symphysis short, the skull slender with an orbital con- 
striction, small brain-case, large squamosal bones, annu- 
lar tympanics, no postorbital processes or zygomatic 
arches, and the dental formula characteristic, there is 
but one genus, Solenodon. See cut under agouta. 
Solenogastra (so-le-no-gas'tra), n. pi. [NL.] 
Same as Solenogastres. 
Solenogastres(so-le-no-gas'trez), n.pl. [NL., 
<Gr.o-uA#v, a channel, pipe, + yaoTr/p, the belly.] 
A group proposed by Gegenbaur for the recep- 
tion of the two genera Neomenia (with Proneo- 
menia) and Chsstoderma: now referred to the 
isopleurous Mollusca. See Isopleura, and cut 
under Neomenia. 
SOlenoglyph (so-le'no-glif), o. and n. [< Gr. 
ou}.rni, a channel, pipe, + yhvfyetv, carve, cut: see 
glyph."] I. a. Having apparently hollow or per- 
forated maxillary teeth specialized and iso- 
lated from the rest; of or pertaining to the So- 
lenoglypha, or having their characters. These 
teeth are the venom-fangs of such serpents as vipers and 
rattlesnakes. They are not actually perforated, but have 
an involute groove whose lips roll together and fuse, 
forming a tube through which the poison is spirted when 
the snake strikes. See cut under Crotalus. 
II. n. A solenoglyphic serpent. 
Solenoglypha, Solenoglyphia (sol-e-nog'li-fa, 
so-le-no-glif'i-a), n.pl. [NL. : see solenoglyplt.} 
