# solo

Pronunciation: say "SOH-loh" US /ˈsoʊ.loʊ/, UK /ˈsəʊ.ləʊ/

## Adjective

1. Carried out by one person, without a companion or instructor.
   - Simple: Done by one person, with no one else helping or teaching.
   - _The student pilot completed her solo flight after months of training._
   - _He attempted a solo ascent of the peak, refusing any guide._
4. Relating to or intended for a musical solo.
   - Simple: Made for or having to do with music played by one person.
   - _The composer is known for her demanding solo repertoire._
   - _This sonata includes a famous solo passage for the oboe._

## Adverb

2. By oneself, without a companion.
   - Simple: Doing something alone, without anyone else along.
   - _After years in the band, she finally performed solo._
   - _The climber attempted the route solo, without any support team._

## Noun

3. A piece of music written for a single performer.
   - Simple: A piece of music meant to be played or sung by just one person.
   - _The composer wrote a demanding solo for the lead cellist._
   - _During the recital, each student performed a short piano solo._
5. A task or performance carried out by a single person without assistance.
   - Simple: A job or show done by just one person, with no help.
   - _The expedition was essentially a solo, with no support crew at all._
   - _His winter solo across the frozen lake took four days, with no one to help him._
8. A single measure, or shot, of espresso.
   - Simple: A single shot of strong coffee made by an espresso machine.
   - _The barista pulled a solo for the waiting customer._
   - _He prefers a solo to a double in the afternoon._
9. A card game resembling whist, without fixed partnerships, in which players bid to win a stated number of tricks, usually alone against the others but sometimes with a temporary partner.
   - Simple: A card game like whist where players bid to win tricks, usually alone against the others but sometimes with one partner.
   - _The four of them settled in for an evening of solo._
   - _He won the last three hands of solo._

## Verb

7. To play or sing a featured passage alone within a larger piece.
   - Simple: To play or sing a special part of a piece of music alone, while the others play softly or stop.
   - _The saxophonist soloed for nearly two minutes._
   - _Each band member gets to solo once during the set._
6. To carry out something on one's own, in the absence of anyone else.
   - Simple: To do something all by yourself, with no one else there.
   - _The pilot soloed the aircraft for the first time that morning._
   - _He chose to solo the renovation rather than hire any help._

## Other meanings

- (noun) In Gaelic football, an instance of toe-kicking the ball up into one's own hands while running.
- (verb) In Gaelic football, to drop the ball onto the foot and toe-kick it upward back into the hands.

## Origin

English took solo from the Italian word solo. Its Latin ancestor is sōlus, which may be connected with se, meaning "himself."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/solo (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).