Main Entry:

sol·i·tude

Pronunciation:

\ˈsä-lə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin solitudin-, solitudo, from solus

Date:

14th century

1 : the quality or state of being alone or remote from society : seclusion 2 : a lonely place (as a desert)

synonyms solitude, isolation, seclusion mean the state of one who is alone. solitude may imply a condition of being apart from all human beings or of being cut off by wish or circumstances from one's usual associates <a few quiet hours of solitude>. isolation stresses detachment from others often involuntarily <the isolation of the village in winter>. seclusion suggests a shutting away or keeping apart from others often connoting deliberate withdrawal from the world or retirement to a quiet life <lived in pastoral seclusion>.