Dictionary

singlet en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈsɪŋɡlɪt/

Etymology

From single + -let.

Meanings

1. A set of one, an item not part of a larger set ▸ A multiplet having a single member, especially a single spectroscopic peak.
2. (qualifier:quantum mechanics) A set of one, an item not part of a larger set ▸ A quantum state having zero spin.
   • However, even if it were possible to supply benzophenone with radiation of the appropriate wavelength to produce the second excited singlet state of the molecule, this singlet would rapidly convert to the lowest singlet state (S1). 2010, Donald L. Pavia, Gary M. Lampman, George S. Kriz, Randall G. Engel, A Small Scale Approach to Organic Laboratory Techniques, page 416:
   • 2003, Timothy M. Cox, 90: Protoporphyria, Karl M. Kadish, Kevin M. Smith, Roger Guilard, (editors), The Porphyrin Handbook, Volume 14: Medical Aspects of Porphyrins, page 132, When a ground state molecule absorbs a photon, the values of the electron spins are not altered and thus the primary excited state is the singlet state.
3. (qualifier:multiplicity slang) A set of one, an item not part of a larger set ▸ A person who does not have a form of multiplicity; a single self or personality occupying one human body.
   • Her system started when she was 17 years old: “We were not created by trauma. It started from being a singlet (one body, one person), but then, we lost our sense of self. […] 2017, Gergő Ribáry, László Lajtai, Zsolt Demetrovics, Aniko Maraz, “Multiplicity: An Explorative Interview Study on Personal Experiences of People with Multiple Selves”, in Frontiers in Psychology:
   • Singlet and monocultural identity is so normalized that many voice hearers and plurals don’t share their experiences with anyone, living in isolation (and sometimes in poverty) and spending considerable inner resources to manage postures and performances of ‘mental health’. 2016, Lori F. Clarke, “Embracing Polyphony: Voices, Improvisation, and the Hearing Voices Network”, in Intersectionalities: A Global Journal of 2016 Social Work Analysis, Research, Polity, and Practice, volume 5, number 2, page 6:
   • More strongly, respect might require that singlets themselves accept, in the context of interacting with plurals, that people are truly distinct people. 2020, Elizabeth Schechter, “What we can learn about respect and identity from plurals”, in JPCA Mag, number 1, page 38:
4. (Australia, Ireland, New-Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, UK) A single piece of clothing ▸ A sleeveless buttonless shirt with a low-cut neck.
   • 2009, Deborah Penrith, Live & Work in: Australia, Crimson Publishing, UK, page 192, Women wear dresses, cropped trousers and vests with lightweight linen jackets and you will find men in anything from a business suit to a pair of stubbies (very short shorts) and a singlet top (white vest) or knee-length cargo trousers.
   • 2000, Nicole Matthews, Kitsch on the Fringe: Suburbia in Recent Australian Comedy Film, Roger Webster, Expanding Suburbia: Reviewing Suburban Narratives, page 176, The semiotics of the singlet - immediately identifiable in Australia, especially in its usual shade of blue, with male manual labourers¹⁶ - underlines the contrast between the effete fakery of ballroom costumes and real masculinity to be found underneath or in the world of folk dancing.
   • However, even in the latter he wears a blue singlet to help remind the audience of his working-class roots. 2006, Albert Moran, Errol Vieth, Film in Australia: An Introduction, page 85:
   • Winston wrenched his body out of bed — naked, for a member of the Outer Party received only 3,000 clothing coupons annually, and a suit of pyjamas was 600 — and seized a dingy singlet and a pair of shorts that were lying across a chair. 1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, page 28:
5. A single piece of clothing ▸ A one-piece, tight-fitting uniform, usually made of spandex or nylon, required in wrestling and powerlifting.

Forms

Antonyms

multiple · system

Deriveds

supersinglet · singleted · nonsinglet · isosinglet · singlet bag · singlet oxygen

Synonyms

undershirt · vest

Translations (111)

vi áo may ô (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · cmn 背心 (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · eo subĉemizo (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · cs nátělník (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · id baju gulat (wrestling: one-piece, tight-fitting uniform, usually made of spandex or nylon) · az ana (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · lt viengubas (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · pt malha (wrestling: one-piece, tight-fitting uniform, usually made of spandex or nylon) · iso ọfruọkọ (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · pl podkoszulek (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · wa tchimijhete (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · pl żonobijka (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · id yukensi (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · fi hihaton (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · lv krekls (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · hu birkózómez (wrestling: one-piece, tight-fitting uniform, usually made of spandex or nylon) · ar القميص (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · be ма́йка (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · el φανέλα (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · la interula (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · sv linne (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · id baju sangkut (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · it canottiera (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ka მაისურა (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · cy fest (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · et maika (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · to falani loto (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · it canotta (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ms singlet (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · fi hihaton aluspaita (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · bm kelen-kelen (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · vi áo mai ô (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · de Unterhemd (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · fr maillot de corps (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · fr débardeur (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · alt токум (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ja アンダーシャツ (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · nl onderhemd (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · cmn 汗衫 (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · sh pȍtkošulja (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · hu mez (wrestling: one-piece, tight-fitting uniform, usually made of spandex or nylon) · cs tílko (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ko 난닝구 (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · hu trikó (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · es musculosa (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ro maiou (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · et särgik (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · sl majica (brez rokavov) (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · pt regata (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ko 러닝 (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · fr marcel (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · bcl sando (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · et alussärk (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ko 탱크톱 (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ky токум (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · be сако́лка (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · mi hingareti (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · de Einteiler (wrestling: one-piece, tight-fitting uniform, usually made of spandex or nylon) · ta ஒற்றை (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · nl singlet (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ko 민소매 (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ru ма́йка (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · id singlet (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · uk ма́йка (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · fi hihaton paita (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · de Trägerhemd (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · wa flanele (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · fi vaimonhakkaajapaita (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · cy festiau (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · fi vaimonhakkaaja (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · kk ішкөйлек (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · bg по́тник (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · pl singlet (quantum mechanics: quantum state having zero spin) · bg трико (wrestling: one-piece, tight-fitting uniform, usually made of spandex or nylon) · ko 나시 (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ja ランニングシャツ (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · da undertrøje (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · fa یکتایی (quantum mechanics: quantum state having zero spin) · ja タンクトップ (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ca samarreta (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · pl bokserka (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · rw ingaragu (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · sk tielko (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ja ランニング (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · pl zapaśniczy kostium jednoczęściowy (wrestling: one-piece, tight-fitting uniform, usually made of spandex or nylon) · hy ֆուֆայկա (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · hu atléta (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · tl sando (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · id kaus kutang (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · he גּוּפִיָּה (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · sh по̏ткошуља (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · iso isimi (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · wa purete (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · mk маица (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · es bividí (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ms baju sangkut (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ja ベスト (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · lo ເສື້ອດ່ຽວ (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · af singlet (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · th เสื้อกล้าม (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · mn майк (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · hu atlétatrikó (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · vec panciòto (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · es camiseta interior (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · fa تک تک (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ja 襦袢 (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · es bivirí (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · sv undertröja (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · ko 러닝셔츠 (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt) · pt singleto (quantum mechanics: quantum state having zero spin) · ko 민소매 셔츠 (vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt)