noun
orphan; last of kin
Rare literary term for a person who has lost all family, especially the last surviving member of a lineage. Not used in everyday speech.
彼は戦争で家族を失い、煢独となった。
He lost his family in the war and became the last of his kin.
Common word for 'orphan', used in everyday contexts. 煢独 is a rare literary synonym with a stronger nuance of being the last survivor.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning of solitude and orphanhood.