solitario

Forms

solitario (feminine solitaria, masculine plural solitari, feminine plural solitarie)^[1]

Etymology

It is learned: it is borrowed from Latin sōlitārius (“solitary, alone”), from sōlitās (“loneliness”), from sōlus (“alone”) (Italian solo).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Devoto takes the Latin word as a shortening of a *sōlitātārius.^[6]

The nouns for the card game and the diamond are borrowed from French solitaire, recorded in French in 1752 and 1798.^[2][7][8] DEI compares the inherited forms of a Latin *sōlitānus, Old French soutain and soldan.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

In 1310–1312 Dino Compagni describes Guido Cavalcanti as courteous and bold, “but disdainful and solitary” (ma sdegnoso e solitario): someone who shuns company and keeps apart.^[2][10]

Semantic evolution

By the 14th century the word was used of places that few people visit (Francesco da Barberino, before 1348) and of animals living alone (Petrarch, before 1374).^[2] In the 15th century the noun meant a hermit, now an obsolete sense.^[9][7] Old forms include solitaro, solatario and soletario.^[10][11]

Two new noun senses came from French.^[2][8] In 1707 Lorenzo Magalotti wrote that he had never heard of the card game solitario before.^[2] The large diamond set alone in a ring is recorded as solitario in 1863, and the French form solitaire was also used in Italian at the start of the 20th century.^[2] Zoology and botany use the adjective for animals that do not live in groups and for isolated organs.^[4][7] Sport speaks of a navigatore solitario, who sails alone across the sea, and of a climb or race in solitario.^[4][12]

Timeline

• 1310–1312 – Dino Compagni uses solitario of a person who shuns company.^[2]
• Before 1348 – Francesco da Barberino uses it of a place without visitors.^[2]
• Before 1374 – Petrarch uses it of an animal that lives alone.^[2]
• 1707 – Lorenzo Magalotti mentions the card game.^[2]
• 1863 – The diamond set alone in a ring is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Fond of being alone, avoiding the company of others: Mio zio è sempre stato un uomo solitario.^[4][12][7]
2. Alone, without company: un ciclista solitario sulla strada di montagna.^[4][12]
3. Done alone, without help: una traversata solitaria.^[4][12]
4. Of a place: secluded, isolated, little frequented: una spiaggia solitaria.^[4][7][13]
5. (zoology) Of an animal: not living in groups.^[4][7]
6. (botany) Of an organ: borne singly, solitary.^[4][7]

Noun

1. A loner, a person who likes to be alone.^[4][7]
2. Patience, solitaire: any card game for one player.^[4][7]
3. A large diamond set on its own in a ring; the ring itself.^[4][7]
4. (obsolete) A hermit.^[7]

Word family

• solitariamente

Related words

• solo
• solitudine
• Latin sōlitārius

Usage notes

Set phrases include passero solitario (the blue rock thrush), verme solitario (the tapeworm), cuori solitari and in solitario.^[4] GDLI records a rare old adjective solitario “sunny”, derived from sole “sun”, used by Busone da Gubbio.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
8. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
9. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3537
10. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
11. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
12. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
13. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli