Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SOL'I-TA-RY, a. [Fr. solitaire; L. 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. – Milton.
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 iii.
5. Single; 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. – Martyn.