solitary

C2 Topic:Crime & Justice

US /ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi/ UK /ˈsɒlɪt(ə)ɹi/ See IPA manual

noun adj Freq #7911

Meanings

1

adj
Alone; done or existing without others.

He enjoyed solitary walks along the empty beach at dawn.
2

adj
Single; being the only one.

A solitary light burned in the window of the old house.
3

noun
The punishment of keeping a prisoner alone, away from all others.

The inmate was held in solitary for six months.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · alone; done or existing... lonely solo

3 noun · the punishment of keeping a... solitary confinement

Word family

Forms solitaries

Derived forms nonsolitarysemisolitarysolitarily solitarinesssolitonunsolitary

Etymology

From Middle English solitarie, borrowed from Latin sōlitārius. Doublet of solitaire.

solitarie Middle English sōlitārius Latin

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Topics

Crime & Justice Word Formation & Derivatives

# solitary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi
**IPA (UK):** ˈsɒlɪt(ə)ɹi
**Frequency rank:** 7911

## Meanings
1. Alone; done or existing without others.
2. Single; being the only one.
3. The punishment of keeping a prisoner alone, away from all others.

## Examples
- He enjoyed solitary walks along the empty beach at dawn.
- A solitary light burned in the window of the old house.
- The inmate was held in solitary for six months.

## Derived Forms
- nonsolitary
- semisolitary
- solitarily
- solitariness
- soliton
- unsolitary

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: solitarie
- Root: sōlitārius

## Etymology
From Middle English solitarie, borrowed from Latin sōlitārius. Doublet of solitaire.

## AI Etymology
Solitary is from Middle English solitarie, borrowed from Latin sōlitārius. Doublet of solitaire. Important recorded forms include solitarie (Middle English) and sōlitārius (Latin). Current senses include alone; done or existing without others, single; being the only one, and the punishment of keeping a prisoner alone, away from all others. The wider family includes derived forms such as nonsolitary, semisolitary, solitarily, solitariness, and soliton.

## Topics
- Crime & Justice
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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solitary

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