SOL'ITARY, adjective [Latin solitarius, from solus, alone.]

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 3:7.

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 One that lives alone of in solitude; a hermit; a recluse.