solusadj.
/ˈsəʊləs/, U.S. /ˈsoʊləs/ 1. Of male persons:
a. Alone, by oneself.In older use esp. in stage-directions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > condition of being alone > [adjective] > of males
solus1600
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V ii. i. 49 Will you shog off? I would haue you solus.
1605 1st Pt. Jeronimo sig. E3 Enter Ieronimo solus.
1676 T. Shadwell Libertine 11 Jacomo solus.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 29. ¶1 The Famous Blunder in an old Play of Enter a King and two Fidlers Solus.
1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals iii. ii Julia's Dressing-room. Faulkland solus.
1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer I. iii. 74 My meals were sent to me, and I took them solus on my chest.
1852 G. C. Mundy Our Antipodes I. v. 177 A solvent looking gentleman, solus in a buggy.
1878 H. S. Leigh Town Garland 140 It is only when solus, away from the throng, That I've hypochondrical fits.
b. solus cum sola [Latin.] : alone with an unchaperoned woman; solus cum solo [lit. ‘alone with (oneself) alone’] : all on one's own.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > love affair > [adjective] > without a chaperon > alone with an unchaperoned woman
solus cum sola1611
the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > condition of being alone > [adverb] > by oneself
by oneself (himself, themselves, etc.)eOE
myself one (also alone)a1300
of oneselfc1450
sole1450
post alone1478
solely1495
high-lone1533
myselfc1540
lone1613
solus cum solo1742
on one's ownio1908
on one's Pat Malone1908
on one's lonely(-o)1919
on one's ownsome1921
on one's jack1931
on one's tod1934
1611 T. Coryate Crudities sig. Hh7 They sing merily together, but especially that sweet & most amorous song of solus cum solâ.
1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Cock & Fox in Fables 226 Stretching his Neck, and warbling in his Throat, Solus cum Sola, then was all his Note.
1742 R. North & M. North Life F. North 242 But he was in the Midst of all the Court, solus cum solo, alone by himself.
1818 Lady Morgan Florence Macarthy II. iv. 202 I shall have the honour to drink your ladyship's health, solus cum solo.
1831 Examiner 5/2 Travelling and voyaging together, solus cum sola, chapronless.
1940 H. H. Henson Jrnl. 24 Mar. in Retrospect (1950) III. ii. 88 In the afternoon I had tea with Mrs. Carnegie solus cum sola.
2. Of females: = sola adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > one > condition of being alone > [adjective] > of females
solus1749
sola1753
1749 S. Johnson Irene v. i. 65 (stage direct.) Aspasia, solus.
1844 W. Irving Life & Lett. (1866) III. 353 This must be the hardest task, for so young a creature, to have to play the Queen solus.
1882 B. M. Croker Proper Pride I. ii. 13 Mounted on her chestnut pony she would..scour solus round the fields.
3. Of things.
a. Advertising. Of an advertisement: that stands alone; sometimes, that deals with one item (e.g. one book) only. Also, pertaining to such advertisements. Also transferred and absol.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > publishing or spreading abroad > advertising > types or methods of advertising > [adjective] > other types of advertising
institutional1919
solus1937
saturation1942
pull-through1963
1937 E. Partridge Dict. Slang 800/1 Solus, an advertisement on a page containing no other advertisement.
1952 Economist 5 Apr. 18/2 The advertiser would no doubt be charged varying rates equivalent to ‘solus position’.
1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 5 Dec. 699/1 Within four days of publication The Middle Age of Mrs. Eliot had received solus feature reviews in The Observer, The Sunday Times, [etc.].
1974 Bookseller 4 May 2154 (advt.) Massive promotion. 10 giant solus advertisements in the National Press.
1980 Financial Rev. (Sydney) 18 Apr. 42/3 Rod Muir's station does have a rate card which concentrates on selling solus spots— 60 seconds to two minutes. Mr Muir thinks radio has lost a lot of its effectiveness with the clutter of 30 second ads.
b. Commerce. Of an outlet for the sale of oil and petrol: that sells the products of one company only. Also, of or pertaining to such an arrangement.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > selling > [adjective] > the products of one company
solus1957
1957 Economist 7 Dec. 836/2 Whether a solus site offering three grades of one brand of petrol provides less choice than a mixed site offering three brands of the same grade is a question for chemists and advertising men to answer.
1958 Spectator 11 July 62/3 The Government had struck a blow against monopoly..by banning ‘solus’ petrol stations from the new motorways.
1965 Economist 7 Aug. 542/1 The major companies selling petrol in Britain have been sure for many months now that the Monopolies Commission would not find the ‘solus’ or ‘tied garage’ system, in itself, to be against the public interest.
1976 Drive Jan.–Feb. 10/1 One of the busiest solus sites (where only one brand of petrol is sold) in the country.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
adj.1600