solo

See also: Solo, sólo, soló, and soļo

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian solo, from Latin sōlus, probably related to se (“himself”).

Pronunciation

• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈsoʊ.loʊ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsəʊ.ləʊ/

Noun

solo (plural solos or soli)

1. (music) A piece of music for one performer.
2. A job or performance done by one person alone.
3. (games) A card game similar to whist in which each player plays against the others in turn without a partner
4. A single shot of espresso.
5. (Gaelic football) An instance of soloing the football.

Coordinate terms

• (coffee): doppio, triplo (rare)

Translations

piece of music for one

• Armenian: մեներգ (hy) (menerg)
• Catalan: solo m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 獨奏 (zh), 独奏 (zh) (dúzòu), 獨唱 (zh), 独唱 (zh) (dúchàn)

• Czech: sólo (cs)
• Dutch: solo (nl)
• Finnish: soolo (fi)
• French: solo (fr) m
• German: Solo (de) n
• Greek: σόλο (el) n (sólo)
• Irish: aonréad m
• Italian: assolo (it) m, solo (it) m

• Japanese: ソロ (soro), 独奏 (どくそう, dokusō), 独唱 (どくしょう, dokushō)
• Maori: hianga
• Norman: solo m
• Polish: solo (pl) n, solówka (pl) f
• Portuguese: solo (pt) m
• Romanian: solo (ro)
• Russian: со́ло (ru) n (sólo)
• Spanish: solo (es) m
• Swedish: solo (sv) n
• Vietnamese: độc tấu(獨奏), độc xướng (獨唱)

job or performance done by one person

• Dutch: solo (nl)
• Finnish: soolo (fi)
• French: solo (fr) m
• Galician: solo (gl), só
• German: Solo (de) n
• Greek: σόλο (el) n (sólo)
• Italian: in solitaria, da solo

• Maori: hīanga
• Norman: solo m
• Portuguese: solo (pt) m
• Romanian: solo (ro)
• Swedish: solo (sv) n
• Vietnamese: một mình (vi)

card game

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 惠斯特紙牌戲, 惠斯特纸牌戏 (huìsītè zhǐpáixì)

• Dutch: solo (nl)
• Finnish: soolo (fi)

• French: please add this translation if you can
• German: Solo (de) n
• Italian: solitario (it) m
• Spanish: solitario (es) m

Adjective

solo (comparative more solo, superlative most solo)

1. Without a companion or instructor.
2. (music) Of, or relating to, a musical solo.

Translations

without a companion or instructor

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 單 (zh), 单 (zh) (dān), 獨自的, 独自的 (dúzì de), 單獨的, 单独的 (dāndú de)

• Czech: sólo (cs)
• Dutch: alleen (nl)
• French: solo (fr), solitaire (fr)
• German: einzeln (de)
• Italian: solitario (it), solo (it)

• Maori: takitahi
• Portuguese: solo (pt)
• Russian: самостоятельно (ru) (samostojatelʹno)
• Spanish: solo (es)
• Swedish: solo (sv), ensam (sv)
• Vietnamese: độc (vi) (獨 (vi)), đơn (vi) (單), một mình (vi), tự (vi) (自 (vi)), tự mình

of a musical solo

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 獨唱 (zh), 独唱 (zh) (dúchàng)

• Dutch: solo (nl)
• French: solo (fr)
• German: solo (de)
• Italian: solista, da solista, per solista

• Portuguese: solo (pt)
• Romanian: solo (ro)
• Russian: со́ло (ru) (sólo)
• Spanish: solo (es)
• Swedish: solo (sv)
• Vietnamese: độc xướng (獨唱)

Adverb

solo (not comparable)

1. Alone, without a companion.
   • 1984, George Michael (lyrics), George Michael (music), “Wake me up before you go-go”, performed by Wham!:

     Wake me up before you go-go / 'Cause I'm not plannin' on going solo

Verb

solo (third-person singular simple present soloes, present participle soloing, simple past and past participle soloed)

1. (music) To perform a solo.
2. To perform something in the absence of anyone else.
3. (Gaelic football) To drop the ball and then toe-kick it upward into the hands.

Derived terms

• soloist
• solo run

 

Related terms

• solitaire

Translations

to perform a solo

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: no corresponding word known

• Dutch: een solo spelen
• French: please add this translation if you can
• German: ein Solo spielen
• Italian: fare un assolo

• Maori: whakatene (of a song)
• Portuguese: solar (pt)
• Russian: солировать (ru) (solirovatʹ)
• Spanish: tocar un solo
• Vietnamese: độc diễn (獨演)

to perform something in the absence of anyone else

• Dutch: solo (nl)
• Finnish: sooloilla
• French: please add this translation if you can

• German: allein machen
• Italian: volare da solo
• Spanish: ir por su cuenta

Anagrams

• Loos, OOLs, Oslo, loos, sloo, sool

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Catalan

Etymology

From Italian solo.

Noun

solo m (plural solos)

1. (music) solo (a piece of music for one performer)

Derived terms

• solista

Further reading

• “solo” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “solo” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “solo” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “solo” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian solo. Doublet of seul.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɔ.lo/

Noun

solo m (plural solos)

1. (music) solo (a piece of music for one performer)

Derived terms

• soliste

See also

• duo, trio

Further reading

• “solo” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Galician

Etymology 1

From Latin sōlum (“soil, ground”).

Noun

solo m (plural solos)

1. soil, ground

   Synonym: chan

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian solo.

Noun

solo m (plural solos)

1. (music) solo (a piece of music for one performer)

   Synonym: só

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German

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian solo.

Adjective

solo

1. alone
2. single (not married nor dating)

   Ich bin solo. ― I'm single.

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Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈso.lo/, [ˈs̪oːl̺o]

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -olo
• Hyphenation: só‧lo

Etymology 1

From Latin sōlus.

Adjective

solo (feminine singular sola, masculine plural soli, feminine plural sole)

1. alone, by oneself, unattended, unaccompanied, lonely, lone, lonesome

   Synonym: solitario

2. only, single, just one, unique, sole

   Synonym: unico

3. (music) solo (a piece of music for one performer)

   Synonym: assolo

Coordinate terms

• (single): doppio, triplo

Descendants

• → English: solo
• → German: solo

Etymology 2

From Latin sōlum.

Adverb

solo

1. only, just, but, alone, merely

   Synonyms: solamente, soltanto

   solo una volta ― only once

   ha solo quattro anni ― he's just four

Conjunction

solo

1. (followed by che) but, only

   Synonyms: ma, però

2. (preceded by se) if only

   se solo lui non fosse qui ... ― if only he was not here ...

3. (followed by se) only if

   […] solo se lui non è qui. ― […] only if he is not here.

Noun

solo m (plural soli, feminine sola)

1. the only one, the only man

   Synonym: unico

   lui è il solo che può ... ― he is the only one/only man that can ...

Related terms

• soliloquio
• solingo
• solino
• solipede
• solipsismo
• solista
• solitario
• solitudine

 

Anagrams

• Oslo

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Latin

Noun

solō

1. dative singular of solum
2. ablative singular of solum

Adjective

sōlō

1. dative masculine singular of sōlus
2. dative neuter singular of sōlus
3. ablative masculine singular of sōlus
4. ablative neuter singular of sōlus

References

• solo in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• solo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

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Latvian

Noun

solo m (invariable)

1. (music) solo

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Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from English solo.

Noun

solo m (plural solos)

1. (music, Jersey) solo

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Northern Sami

Pronunciation

Verb

solo

1. inflection of soallut:
   1. present indicative connegative
   2. second-person singular imperative

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Papiamentu

Etymology

From Portuguese sol and Spanish sol and Kabuverdianu sol.

Noun

solo

1. sun

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Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔ.lu/

Etymology 1

From Latin sōlum (“soil, ground”), from Proto-Indo-European *swol- (“sole of the foot”).

Noun

solo m (plural solos)

1. (geology) soil, ground

Derived terms

• subsolo

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian solo, from Latin sōlus (“alone, solitary”). Cognate of só.

Noun

solo m (plural solos)

1. (music) solo (a piece of music for one performer)

Quotations

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:solo.

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsolo/

Etymology 1

From Latin sōlus (“alone, sole, only”).

Adjective

solo (feminine singular sola, masculine plural solos, feminine plural solas)

1. sole, only, unique, single
2. lonely, lonesome
3. alone, by oneself

Derived terms

• solito

Related terms

• a solas
• soledad
• solitario

 

Etymology 2

From Latin sōlum.

Alternative forms

• sólo (deprecated)

Adverb

solo

1. only, solely, just

   Synonyms: solamente, únicamente

   Solo quiero salir. ― I just want to leave.

Further reading

• “solo” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.