I. ˈsä-lə-ˌter-ē adjective
Etymology: Middle English, solitarie, from Anglo-French, from Latin solitarius, from solitas aloneness, from solus alone
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : being, living, or going alone or without companions
b. : saddened by isolation
2. : unfrequented , desolate
a solitary seashore
3.
a. : taken, passed, or performed without companions
a solitary ramble
b. : keeping a prisoner apart from others
solitary confinement
4. : being at once single and isolated
a solitary example
5.
a. : occurring singly and not as part of a group or cluster
flowers terminal and solitary
b. : not gregarious, colonial, social, or compound
solitary bees
Synonyms: see alone
• sol·i·tar·i·ly ˌsä-lə-ˈter-ə-lē adverb
• sol·i·tar·i·ness ˈsä-lə-ˌter-ē-nəs noun
II. noun
( plural -tar·ies )
Date: 15th century
1. : one who lives or seeks to live a solitary life : recluse
2. : solitary confinement in prison
put him in solitary