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so·lo (sōlō)
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n. pl. so·los
1. Music A composition or passage for an individual voice or instrument, with or without accompaniment.
2. A performance by a single singer or instrumentalist.
3. Games Any of various card games in which one player singly opposes others.
adj.
1. Music Composed, arranged for, or performed by a single voice or instrument.
2. Made or done by a single individual.
adv.
Unaccompanied; alone: flew solo from Anchorage to Miami.
v. so·loed, so·lo·ing, so·los
v.intr.
1. To perform a solo.
2. To fly an airplane without a companion or an instructor, especially for the first time.
v.tr.
To complete (a challenging endeavor) by oneself rather than with a partner or as part of a team: soloed the north face of Mt. Everest.
[Italian, from Latin sōlus, alone; see s(w)e- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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