anti-solar
|an-ti-so-lar|
🇺🇸
/ˌæntiˈsoʊlɚ/
🇬🇧
/ˌæntiˈsəʊlə/
opposite the sun / against solar
Etymology
'anti-solar' originates from a modern English compound of the prefix 'anti-' and the adjective 'solar'; 'anti-' comes from Greek 'anti' meaning 'against' or 'opposite', and 'solar' comes from Latin 'solaris' meaning 'of the sun'.
'anti-' derives from Greek 'anti' (via Latin and later English usage as a combining form) and 'solar' derives from Latin 'solaris', which passed into Old French as 'solaire' and into Middle/Modern English as 'solar'; the modern compound 'anti-solar' formed in English by combining these elements.
Initially the components meant 'against/opposite' (anti-) and 'of the sun' (solar); combined, the term has come to mean either 'opposite the sun' in a spatial/astronomical sense or 'opposed to solar (energy/technology)' in a social/technical sense.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a point or region that is opposite the sun (e.g., the anti-solar point), or, more generally, something that lies on the side away from the sun.
Observers noted the brightness of the anti-solar point during the eclipse.
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Adjective 1
located on, facing, or directed toward the side opposite the sun; lying opposite the sun (used in astronomy, meteorology, or geoscience).
The spacecraft carried instruments to study the anti-solar hemisphere of the comet.
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Adjective 2
opposed to or critical of solar energy or solar-based technologies (used in social, political, or economic contexts).
The proposal faced anti-solar sentiment from parts of the community concerned about land use.
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Last updated: 2025/10/23 17:36