Home › Glossary › Letter S

Solitaire

Birds
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A now-extinct flightless bird of the Mascarene Islands, related to the pigeon.

Detailed Definition
The solitaire appears in poetry as a symbol of extinction, lost worlds, and human-caused ecological grief. Its solitary nature and tragic demise evoke themes of isolation and irreversible loss. Poets use the solitaire to reflect on colonial exploitation, the fragility of island endemics, and the haunting silence left by vanished species. It serves as a poignant counterpoint to more common birds, embodying the weight of absence in the natural record.
Example
Example in poetry:
In extinction elegies, the solitaire (a flightless pigeon relative) symbolizes irreversible loss and the silence left by vanished species; Poets reference the solitaire’s solitary nature and tragic demise to explore themes of isolation and human-caused ecological grief; Its extinction on Rodrigues Island appears in postcolonial verse as a consequence of exploitation and invasive species; The solitaire’s large size and terrestrial habits inspire metaphors for grounded uniqueness now lost; Ecopoets use the solitaire as a counterpoint to surviving birds, embodying the weight of absence; Its story serves as a cautionary tale in conservation poetry about island endemism and vulnerability.
Additional Notes
Solitaire: Refers either to the extinct flightless bird of Mauritius (a tragic conservation symbol) or the reclusive thrush-like birds of the Americas (e.g., Townsend’s solitaire). Both evoke solitude, song in isolation, and ecological fragility. The name itself invites metaphor—ideal for poems about loneliness or lost voices.
Also Known As
Townsend’s Solitaire extinct Mauritius Solitaire Mockingbird (historically confused in early texts) Patience
Skip to main content