solemnes

Solemnes is primarily encountered as the plural form of the Latin adjective sollemnis, used in ecclesiastical Latin to denote things ceremonial or solemn. In liturgical and medieval manuscripts, the term appears in phrases describing solemn rites, feasts, or days, most commonly in constructions such as dies sollemnes, meaning “solemn days.” The usage is largely confined to religious or historical texts, rather than contemporary prose.

Etymology and form: The term derives from Latin sollemnis, meaning ceremonial or solemn. In Latin grammar, sollemnis governs gender and number to yield forms such as sollemnis (singular) and sollemnes (plural), adapting to the noun it modifies. In practice, solemnes is seen where multiple solemnities or solemn days are being referred to, rather than as a standalone lexical item.

Usage in sources: In calendars and ritual descriptions, solemnes often appears to label groups of observances or to describe collective solemnities. It can function as an adjective in the plural or, less frequently, appear in a substantive sense within medieval or ecclesiastical Latin passages. In modern Romance languages, similar forms appear as inflected adjectives, typically retaining the meaning “solemn” or referring to solemnities within liturgical contexts.

See also: Sollemnis, solemnity, solemn, liturgical calendar, ecclesiastical Latin.