adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective (pronominal declension)
sōlus1
sōlus (feminine sōla, neuter sōlum)
Classical[ˈsoː.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈsɔː.lus]
№ 176 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- adjectivealone, sole, only, by oneself with no others around
Sentīs mea vulnera, sentīs; atque utinam sōlī sint ea nōta tibi.
You feel my wounds, you feel: and I hope they are only known to you.[...] sōlus hic īnflexit sēnsūs, animumque labantem / impulit [...].
“… this [is the] only [man who] swayed [my] feelings, and stirred [my] wavering heart ….”29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.22-23 - adjectivesolitary, uninhabited
‘māter!’ ait virgō (mōta est dea nōmine mātris)
‘‘Mother!’’ says the maiden (the goddess was moved by the name of mother), ‘‘What are you doing unattended in lonely places?’’ (A young shepherdess chances upon the goddess Ceres who, having disguised herself as an old woman, is searching everywhere for her own lost daughter, Persephone.)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 4.513–514
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
sine ūllō aliō; custōs sōlus in nocte stat.sōlus -a -um — in Mille Verba, ch. Līmes: ad Carnuntum
alone
sōlus -a -um — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 8, 19, 24 and Seneca, ch. XI
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Tellus · Terra · Solum · Humus
Tellus denotes the earth as a whole, as the centre of the universe, as a goddess, in opp. to other bodies in the universe, or other divinities, like Γαῖα, Γῆ; whereas terra (τέρσω, torreo,) as matter and one of the elements in opp. to the other elements, like γαῖα, γῆ); solum (ὅλον) as a solid element, in opp. especially to water, like πέδον; lastly, humus (χθών, χαμαί), as the lowest part of the visible world, in opp. to the sky, like χθών. Hence the derivative terrenus is in opp. to igneus; solidus is in opp. to fluidus; lastly, humilis, in opp. to sublimis. (i. 173.)
Solum · Fundus · Vadum · Fundamentum
Solum, fundus, vadum, denote the natural ground and bottom of a thing; solum, that of the earth, on which one can place a firm foot, in opp. to the movable elements air and water; fundus (from fodere, βυθός,) that of a vessel, in opp. to the remaining space in the vessel; vadum (ἕδος) that of a river, ocean, or sea, in opp. to the water, which flows into it, or to standing water; whereas fundamentum denotes a foundation artificially laid, on which a building, etc. rests, and which, in addition to the solum, it particularly needs. Hence the proverbial phrase, Omnis res jam in vado est; like a swimmer who has reached the bottom of the water: and Largitio fundum non habet, like the vessel of the Danaides. Cic. Brut. 74. Solum et quasi fundamentum oratoris vides. (v. 35.)
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | sōlus | sōla | sōlum |
| genitive | sōlī̆us | sōlī̆us | sōlī̆us |
| dative | sōlī | sōlī | sōlī |
| accusative | sōlum | sōlam | sōlum |
| ablative | sōlō | sōlā | sōlō |
| vocative | sōle | sōla | sōlum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | sōlī | sōlae | sōla |
| genitive | sōlōrum | sōlārum | sōlōrum |
| dative | sōlīs | sōlīs | sōlīs |
| accusative | sōlōs | sōlās | sōla |
| ablative | sōlīs | sōlīs | sōlīs |
| vocative | sōlī | sōlae | sōla |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- solis defectio
- an eclipse of the sun.
- ortus, occasus solis
- sunrise; sunset.
- ardore solis torreri
- to be dried up by the sun's heat.
- oppidum solo aequare
- to raze a town to the ground.
- venti ab ortu solis flant
- the east winds are blowing.
- Solo lege sanxit, ut or ne
- Solo ordained by law that...
- Solo, unus de septem (illis)
- Solon, one of the seven sages.
- hoc est luce (sole ipso) clarius
- this is as clear as daylight.
3 more phrases
- solum vertere, mutare (Caecin. 34. 100)
- to leave one's country (only used of exiles).
- Solo capite sanxit, si quis... (Att. 10. 1)
- Solon made it a capital offence to...
- spectare inter occasum solis et septentriones
- to be situate to the north-west.
sōlus, a, um (
I. gen. regular. solius; dat. soli; gen. m. soli, Cato ap. Prisc. p. 694 P.; dat. m. SOLO, Inscr. Orell. 2627; f. solae, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 28; Ter. Eun. 5, 6, 3), adj. orig. the same with sollus, q. v.; cf. salus. By Pott referred to sui, Kühn. Zeitschr. 5, 242.
I. Lit.
A. In gen., alone, only, single, sole (syn.:
unus, unicus, singularis): quod egomet solus feci, nec quisquam alius affuit, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 269: cum omnibus potius quam soli perire voluerunt, Cic. Cat. 4, 7, 14: cum visum esset utilius solum quam cum altero regnare, id. Off. 3, 10, 41: licebit eum solus ames, id. Att. 6, 3, 7: tot mea Solius solliciti sint causa, ut, etc., Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 77: nec mihi soli versantur ante oculos ... sed, etc., Cic. Lael. 27, 102: non sibi se soli natum meminerit, id. Fin. 2, 14, 45 fin.: extra Peloponnesum Aenianes, etc. ... soli absunt a mari, id. Rep. 2, 4, 8: quae sola divina sunt, id. Tusc. 1, 27, 66: ita sola errare videbar, Enn. Ann. 1, 45; cf. Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 2: Africanum solitum esse dicere, se numquam minus solum esse, quam cum solus esset, Cic. Rep. 1, 17, 27: rem narrabit sola soli, Ter. Hec. 3, 2, 15; 4, 1, 42; id. Eun. 3, 5, 31; Cato ap. Prisc. p. 694 P.: de viginti Restabam solus, Ov. M. 3, 688: solus ex plurimis servis, Plaut. Most. 4, 1, 23: solus ex toto illo collegio, Cic. Prov. Cons. 8, 18: Stoici soli ex omnibus, id. de Or. 3, 18, 65: tu ex omnibus, id. Fam. 2, 17, 6: ego meorum solus sum meus, Ter. Phorm. 4, 1, 21: coturnices solae animalium, Plin. 10, 23, 33, § 69: solus inter omnes, Mart. 4, 2, 1: quae (actio) sola per se ipsa quanta sit, histrionum ars declarat, Cic. de Or. 1, 5, 18; so, per se, id. Top. 15, 59; Liv. 1, 49; 10, 1 al.—With subj. inf.: nam solum habere velle summa dementia est, Cic. Tusc. 4, 26, 56.—Strengthened by unus: Ch. Quid, duasne is uxores habet? So. Obsecro: unam ille quidem hanc solam, Ter. Phorm. 5, 1, 27: solum unum hoc vitium affert senectus hominibus, id. Ad. 5, 3, 47: furta praetoris quae essent HS. duodecies, ex uno oppido solo exportata sunt, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 75, § 185: unam solam scitote esse civitatem, quae, etc., id. ib. 2, 2, 5, § 13: te unum solum suum depeculatorem venisse, id. Pis. 40, 96.—With other numerals (freq. and class.), Plaut. Bacch. 4, 9, 51; Cic. Ac. 2, 45, 138; id. Att. 2, 1, 5; id. Phil. 11, 8, 18; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 74, § 182: Ge. Quantum tibi opus est argenti? Ph. Solae triginta minae, Ter. Phorm. 3, 3, 24; Caes. B. G. 1, 40: qui solos novem menses Asiae praefuit, Cic. Att. 5, 17, 5; Liv. 1, 55, 8; 6, 36, 8; 37, 23, 10; and Suet. Aug. 97. —In voc.: felix lectule talibus sole amoribus, Attic. ap. Prisc. p. 673 P.—B. In partic., alone, lonely, solitary, forsaken, deserted; without relatives, friends, etc. (rare;
syn. solitarius): sola sum: habeo hic neminem, Neque amicum neque cognatum, Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 67; cf. id. Ad. 3, 1, 4; id. And. 2, 3, 7: solus atque omnium honestarum rerum egens, Sall. J. 14, 17; id. H. 3, 61, 3 Dietsch: gaudet me vacuo solam tabescere lecto, Prop. 3, 5 (4, 6), 23.—II. Transf., of places, lonely, solitary, unfrequented, desert, = desertus (class.):
hic solis locis composita sum, Hic saxa sunt, hic mare sonat, nec quisquam Homo mihi obviam venit, Plaut. Rud. 1, 3, 22; cf.: cum in locis solis moestus errares, Cic. Div. 1, 28, 59: loca, Lucr. 6, 396; Cic. Fragm. ap. Quint. 5, 13, 28; Nep. Eum. 8, 6 (for which shortly before: loca deserta); Sall. J. 103, 1: locus, Plaut. Aul. 4, 6, 7; Ter. And. 2, 4, 3: terrae, Plaut. Rud. 1, 4, 8; id. Most. 4, 3, 3; Ter. Phorm. 5, 7 (8), 86: Libyae agri, Verg. G. 3, 249: insula, Cat. 64, 184: in harena, id. 64, 57: solā sub rupe, Verg. E. 10, 14; Cat. 64, 154: in monte, Tib. 1, 2, 72 (Müll. solito) et saep.—Hence, adv.: sōlum, alone, only, merely, barely. A. Affirmatively (rare but class.; syn. tantum, but never with numerals, except unus; cf.
solus, A. supra): de re unā solum dissident, de ceteris mirifice congruunt. Ain' tandem? unā de re solum est dissensio? Cic. Leg. 1, 20, 53: nos nuntiationem solum habemus: consules etiam spectionem, id. Phil. 2, 32, 81; id. Or. 48, 160: quasi vero atrā bili solum mens ac non saepe vel iracundia graviore vel timore moveatur, id. Tusc. 3, 5, 11: quae hominum solum auribus judicantur, id. N. D. 2, 58, 146: quasi vero perpetua oratio rhetorum solum, non etiam philosophorum sit, id. Fin. 2, 6, 17.—2. Strengthened by modo, and joined with it in one word, sōlummŏdo (only late Lat., for the true reading, Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 92, is unam tantum, Jan. Detlef.;
whereas tantummodo is class.): de exercitore solummodo Praetor sentit, Dig. 4, 9, 1, § 2: pretii solummodo fieri aestimationem, ib. 9, 2, 23, § 1; 11, 5, 1, § 3; 28, 5, 1, § 1; Quint. Decl. 247; Tert. Res. Carn. 26; Hier. Ep. 12.—B. Negatively: non solum, nec (neque) solum ... sed (verum) etiam (et), etc., not only (not merely, not barely) ... but also, etc. (class. and freq.):
non solum publicas, sed etiam privatas injurias ultus est, Caes. B. G. 1, 12 fin.: urbes non solum multis periculis oppositae, sed etiam caecis, Cic. Rep. 2, 3, 6: importantur non merces solum adventiciae, sed etiam mores, id. ib. 2, 4, 7: neque solum fictum, sed etiam imperite absurdeque fictum, id. ib. 2, 15, 28: te non solum naturā et moribus, verum etiam studio et doctrinā esse sapientem, id. Lael. 2, 6: non nobis solum nati sumus, id. Off. 1, 7, 22: ut sapiens solum contentus possit vivere, id. Fin. 1, 13, 44 Madv. ad loc.: bestiae sibi solum natae sunt, id. ib. 3, 19, 63: nec vero solum hanc libidinem laudant, id. Tusc. 4, 19, 44: servavit ab omni Non solum facto verum opprobrio quoque turpi, Hor. S. 1, 6, 84: non enim jus illud solum superbius populo, sed violentius videri necesse erat, Cic. Leg. 3, 7, 17; id. Cat. 3, 10, 24: non solum ortum novum populum, sed adultum jam, etc., id. Rep. 2, 11, 21: quibus opibus ac nervis non solum ad minuendam gratiam, sed paene ad perniciem suam uteretur, Caes. B. G. 1, 20: quae non solum facta esse, sed ne fieri quidem potuisse cernimus, Cic. Rep. 2, 15, 28: bene meriti de rebus communibus, ut genere etiam putarentur non solum ingenio esse divino, id. ib. 2, 2, 4: neque solum civis, set cujusmodi genus hominum, Sall. C. 39, 6; v. non and sed.sŏlus, ūs, m., v. solum
I. init.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
sōlus gen. sōlīus, dat. sōlī (dat f. sōlae, T.), adj.
3 SAL-, alone, only, single, sole : cum omnibus potius quam soli perire voluerunt: licebit eum solus ames: meā Solius solliciti causā, T.: quae sola divina sunt: se numquam minus solum esse, quam cum solus esset: De viginti Restabam solus, O.: cognitiones sine consiliis per se solus exercebat, L.—With unus, only, single, alone : Solum unum hoc vitium fert senectus hominibus, T.: unam solam scitote esse civitatem, quae, etc.: te unum solum suum depeculatorem venisse.— With other numerals, only, no more than : si decem soli essent in civitate viri boni: duas tribūs solas tulit: qui solos novem mensīs Asiae praefuit: crediderim quadraginta ea sola talenta fuisse, L.— Alone, lonely, solitary, forsaken, deserted : sola sum; habeo hic neminem, T.: solus atque omnium honestarum rerum egens, S.— Alone, preëminent, extraordinary : Nam sine controversiā ab dis solus diligēre, T.—Of places, lonely, solitary, unfrequented, desert : asportarier In solas terras, T.: in locis solis: proficiscitur in loca sola, S.: solā sub rupe, V.
Origins
PIE word *swé The word has baffled etymologists for generations. Traditionally explained from earlier *swolos, from Proto-Italic *swelos, from Proto-Indo-European *swé (reflexive pronoun) (whence se (“oneself”)) + *-los, hence meaning "by oneself". De Vaan and other modern researchers, skeptical of the traditional explanation, refer it to the root *solh₂- (“whole, healthy”), which would make it akin to sollus and salvus.
Descendants
- Catalansol
- Catalansols
- Frenchseulfrom Old French sol
- Englishsolefrom Old French sol
- Italiansolo
- Englishsolofrom Italian solo
- Frenchsolofrom Italian solo
- Portuguesesolofrom Italian solo
- Occitansol
- Portuguesesófrom Old Galician-Portuguese soo
In English words that came into English from sōlus
- solosōlus
- solesōlus
- sullensōlus
- solitarysōlitārius
- solitudesōlitūdō
- solipsismsōlus
- soliloquysōliloquium
- desolatedēsōlātus
- solitairesōlitārius
- desolationdēsōlātiō
- solivagantsōlivagāns
- soliferrumsoliferrum
- solussōlus
- solitudinoussōlitūdō
- solivagoussolivagus
- solitudinariansōlitūdō