solidus

Etymology

From classical Latin solidus (“solid”). See solid. In numismatic and weight senses, via medieval Latin solidus (“various coins”), from Late Latin solidus (“a gold coin of the Roman Empire”). In chemical sense, via German Solidus, coined by H.W.B. Roozeboom in his 1899 Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie, Stöchiometrie, und Verwandtschaftslehre (XXX, page 387).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɒlɪdəs/

Noun

solidus (plural solidi or soliduses)

1. (historical) Various medieval and early modern coins or units of account, particularly:
   1. A Roman ~23k gold coin introduced by Diocletian in AD 301.
   2. Its successor Byzantine coins, from the eleventh century onward of progressively debased weight and purity.
   3. (obsolete) Synonym of sol or sou: a Carolingian unit of account equivalent to a solidus of silver.
   4. (obsolete) Synonym of soldo: the silver coins of various Italian states.
   5. (obsolete) Synonym of shilling: an English unit of account and, following the Tudor dynasty, silver coin.
2. (historical) The weight of the Roman gold coin, 1/60 of a Roman pound under Diocletian or 1/72 lb. (about 4.5 grams) after Constantine.
3. (historical) A medieval French weight, 1/20 of the Carolingian pound.
4. (typography) Synonym of slash ⟨/⟩, originally (Britain) in its use as the shilling mark and now its formal designation by the ISO and Unicode.
5. (typography) The formal name of the oblique strikethrough overlay (as in A̷ and B̸) in Unicode.
6. (typography) The division line between the numerator and the denominator of a fraction, whether horizontal or oblique.
7. (chemistry, physics) The line in a phase diagram marking the temperatures and pressures below which a given substance is a stable solid.

See also

• liquidus
• macron
• vinculum

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, "solidus, n.¹" and "solidus, n.²"
• solidus in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• solidus at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• dulosis

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *solh₂idʰos, suffixed form of root *solh₂- (“integrate, whole”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈso.li.dus/, [ˈsɔ.lɪ.dʊs]

Adjective

solidus (feminine solida, neuter solidum); first/second declension

1. solid

Noun

solidus m (genitive solidī); second declension

1. (historical) A solidus: a Roman ~23-carat gold coin introduced by Diocletian in AD 301.
2. (Medieval, historical) A bezant: the solidus's debased Byzantine successors.
3. (Medieval, historical) A shilling, as a unit of account or silver coin.
   • c. 1300, Tractatus de Ponderibus et Mensuris

     Libra continet viginti solidos

     The [London] pound contains twenty shillings.

References

• solidus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• solidus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• solidus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• solidus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• solidus in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• solidus in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016
• solidus in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
• solid in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911