WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : So*lem"ni*ty
Part of Speech : n.;
Etymology : [L. solemnitas, solennitas: cf. F. solennit?, solemnit?, OF. also sollempnit?.]
Definition : 1. A rite or ceremony performed with religious reverence; religious or ritual ceremony; as, the solemnity of a funeral, a sacrament. Great was the cause; our old solemnities From no blind zeal or fond tradition rise, But saved from death, our Argives yearly pay These grateful honors to the god of day. Pope.

2. ceremony adapted to impress with awe. The forms and solemnities of the last judgment. Atterburry.

3. Ceremoniousness; impressiveness; seriousness; grave earnestness; formal dignity; gravity. With much glory and great solemnity. Chaucer. The statelines and gravity of the Spaniards shows itself in the solemnity of their language. Addison. These promises were often made with great solemnity and confirmed with an oath. J. Edwards.

4. Hence, affected gravity or seriousness. Solemnity 's a cover for a sot. Young.

5. Solemn state or feeling; awe or reverence; also, that which produces such a feeling; as, the solemnity of an audience; the solemnity of Westminster Abbey.

6. (Law)

Defn: A solemn or formal observance; proceeding according to due form; the formality which is necessary to render a thing done valid.

pl. Solemnities.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913