solitaire

[sol-i-tair] /ˈsɒl ɪˌtɛər/
noun
1.
Also called patience. any of various games played by one person with one or more regular 52-card packs, part or all of which are usually dealt out according to a given pattern, the object being to arrange the cards in a predetermined manner.
2.
a game played by one person alone, as a game played with marbles or pegs on a board having hollows or holes.
3.
a precious stone, especially a diamond, set by itself, as in a ring.
4.
any of several American thrushes of the genus Myadestes, having short, broad bills and noted for their beautiful songs.
5.
a large extinct flightless bird of the genus Pezophaps, related to the dodo but with a longer neck, smaller bill, and longer legs, that inhabited the Mascarene Islands.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < French < Latin sōlitārius solitary
Examples from the web for solitaire
  • In the solitaire version of this game, your goal is to have only one counter left on the grid after some number of jumps.
  • If you're playing solitaire, the mental office door is closed.
British Dictionary definitions for solitaire

solitaire

/ˈsɒlɪˌtɛə; ˌsɒlɪˈtɛə/
noun
1.
Also called pegboard. a game played by one person, esp one involving moving and taking pegs in a pegboard or marbles on an indented circular board with the object of being left with only one
2.
the US name for patience (sense 3)
3.
a gem, esp a diamond, set alone in a ring
4.
any of several extinct birds of the genus Pezophaps, related to the dodo
5.
any of several dull grey North American songbirds of the genus Myadestes: subfamily Turdinae (thrushes)
Word Origin
C18: from Old French: solitary
Word Origin and History for solitaire
n.

c.1500, "widow;" 1716, "solitary person, recluse," from French solitaire, from Latin adjective solitarius "alone, lonely, isolated" (see solitary). Sense of "a precious stone set by itself" is from 1727. Meaning "card game played by one person" is first attested 1746.