Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Solitary
Sol′i-ta-ry
,Adj.
1.
Living or being by one’s self; having no companion present; being without associates; single; alone; lonely.
Those rare and
solitary
, these in flocks. Milton.
Hie home unto my chamber,
Where thou shalt find me, sad and
Where thou shalt find me, sad and
solitary
. Shakespeare
2.
Performed, passed, or endured alone;
as, a
. solitary
journey; a solitary
lifeSatan . . . explores his
solitary
flight. Milton.
3.
Not much visited or frequented; remote from society; retired; lonely;
as, a
. solitary
residence or place4.
Not inhabited or occupied; without signs of inhabitants or occupation; desolate; deserted; silent; still; hence, gloomy; dismal;
as, the
. solitary
desertHow doth the city sit
solitary
, that was full of people. Lam. i. 1.
Let that night be
solitary
; let no joyful voice come therein. Job iii. 7.
5.
Single; individual; sole;
as, a
. solitary
instance of vengeance; a solitary
example6.
(Bot.)
Not associated with others of the same kind.
Solitary ant
(Zool.)
, any solitary hymenopterous insect of the family
– Mutillidae
. The female of these insects is destitute of wings and has a powerful sting. The male is winged and resembles a wasp. Called also spider ant
. Solitary bee
(Zool.)
, any species of bee which does not form communities.
– Solitary sandpiper
(Zool.)
, an American tattler (
– Totanus solitarius
). Solitary snipe
(Zool.)
, the great snipe.
[Prov. Eng.]
– Solitary thrush
(Zool.)
the starling.
[Prov. Eng.]
Sol′i-ta-ry
,Noun.
One who lives alone, or in solitude; an anchoret; a hermit; a recluse.
Webster 1828 Edition
Solitary
SOL'ITARY
,Adj.
1.
Living alone; not having company. Some of the more ferocious animals are solitary, seldom or never being found in flocks or herds. Thus the lion is called a solitary animal. Those rare and solitary, these in flocks.2.
Retired; remote from society; not having company, or not much frequented; as a solitary residence or place.3.
Lonely; destitute of company; as a solitary life.4.
Gloomy; still; dismal. Let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein. Job 3.5.
Single; as a solitary instance of vengeance; a solitary example.6.
In botany, separate; one only in a place; as a solitary stipule. A solitary flower is when there is only one to each peduncle; a solitary seed, when there is only one in a pericarp.SOL'ITARY
,Noun.