Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “solitary” come from?

Solitary comes from Latin solitarius, derived from Latin solitas, which developed from Latin solus meaning "alone," traced back through Latin swolos and Proto-Italic sweles to Proto-Indo-European swé.

solitary (English): One who lives alone, or in solitude; an anchoret,...

Definitions

  1. One who lives alone, or in solitude; an anchoret,...

Ancestry of “solitary”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinsolitariussolitary; lonely, lonesome
2Latinsolitasa being alone, loneliness, solitude; accusative...
3Latin-tās—
4Proto-Indo-European-teh₂tsUsed to form nouns representing state of being
5Proto-Indo-European-teh₂Used to form nouns representing state of being
6Proto-Indo-European-tósCreates verbal adjectives from verb stems

Words derived from “solitary”

  • soliton
  • solitariness
  • solitarily
  • solitonic
  • nonsolitary
  • multisoliton
  • unsolitary
  • semisolitary
  • antisoliton
  • autosoliton
  • supersoliton
  • bisoliton
  • bisolitonic
  • solitonics
  • ソリトン
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tós →