n. 1. A gem, such as a diamond, that is set alone. 2. Games Any of a number of card games played by one person, especially Klondike. 3. Any of several thrushes found in the Americas and noted for having a beautiful song. 4. A large flightless bird (Pezophaps solitaria) of the Mascarene Islands that was closely related to the dodo and became extinct by the end of the 1700s. 5. A large flightless bird (Threskiornis solitarius) of Réunion Island, once thought to be related to the dodo but now regarded as a type of ibis. It became extinct in the early 1700s. [French, solitary, from Old French; see SOLITARY.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.