before a vowel often mon-, repr. Gr. µονο-, combining form of µόνος, alone, only, sole, single, occurring in a number of words adopted from existing Greek compounds (as monarch, monody, monogamy, monogram, monologue, monopoly), and hence used to form words, mostly scientific and technical, independently of a Greek original. The second element of these words is normally of Greek origin, but in recent formations mono- is often combined (instead of uni-) with a Latin element (as monocellular: see also 2 below), and occas. prefixed to an English word (as monoline, mono-rail). Many of these words have correlatives in di- (see di- prefix2), tri-, poly-, etc. The more important will be found as Main words; others of less importance follow here.

1. General words: monoalphaˈbetic a., denoting a cipher in which each letter corresponds to one letter of the normal alphabet. ‖mon(o)anæsˈthesia Path., anæsthesia of a single part. monoˈanthropism, belief in the unity or indivisibility of mankind. ˈmonoblast Biol. [a. G. monoblast (O. Naegeli Blutkrankheiten und Blutdiagnostik (ed. 3, 1923) 143): see -blast], a cell that develops into a monocyte. monoˈblastic a. Biol. [Gr. βλαστ-ός sprout, bud], having a single germinal layer (Cent. Dict. 1890). ‖monoˈblepsia, -ˈblepsis Path. [Gr. βλέψις vision], a state of vision in which objects are distinct only when one eye is used (Mayne Expos. Lex. 1856). monoˈbranchiate a., having only one set of branchiæ or gills (Syd. Soc. Lex. 1891). ˈmono-cable, an aerial ropeway in which a single endless rope is used both to support the loads and to move them; usu. attrib. monoˈcardian a. [Gr. καρδία heart], ‘having a single heart, as fishes and reptiles’ (Webster 1847). monoˈcausal a., in terms of a sole cause. monoˈcellular a. Biol. = unicellular; so monoˈcellule, a unicellular organism (Cent. Dict.). monoˈcentric a. Biol., having a single centre, as a cell; Anat. = unipolar. monoˈcercous a. Zool. [Gr. κέρκ-ος tail] = monomastigate (Cent. Dict.). monociˈstronic a. Genetics, containing as much genetic information as is carried by a single cistron. ‖monochoˈrea Path., ‘chorea limited to one area, as an arm’ (Syd. Soc. Lex.). monociliate, -ˈciliated adjs. Zool., having a single cilium, uniciliate. monoˈclonal Biol. and Med., forming a single clone; derived asexually from a single individual or cell. monoˈcœlian a. (and n.) Zool. [Gr. κοιλία cavity], having the encephalocœle single; pertaining to the class Monocœlia, otherwise called Leptocardii (Cent. Dict.); so monoˈcœlic (-celic), ‘having a single cavity’ (Mayne). monoˈcolour = monochrome n. 2c. mono-coloured a. rare, having only one colour; also fig. monoˈcondylar, -conˈdylian, -conˈdylic adjs. Zool. [Gr. µονοκόνδυλ-ος single-knuckled, f. κόνδυλος knuckle], having one occipital condyle, as the skull of birds and reptiles; distinguished from dicondylian. monoconsoˈnantal a., containing a single consonant. monoˈcormic a. Bot. [Gr. κορµ-ός tree-trunk], having a single main axis of growth. monoˈcrotic, moˈnocrotous adjs. Phys. [Gr. κρότ-ος beat], of a pulse, having a single beat, not dicrotic. ˈmonocrystal, a single crystal; so monoˈcrystalline a., consisting of or constituting a monocrystal. monoˈdentate a. Chem. [L. dentātus: see dentate a.], (of a ligand) having only one point of attachment to a central atom. monoˈdermic a. [Gr. δέρµα skin], having, or consisting of, a single dermal layer. monodiˈabolism (nonce-wd.), belief in a single devil; cf polydiabolism (poly- 1). monodiaˈlectal a., speaking only one dialect; hence monodiaˈlectally adv. monodiˈametral a. Math., term proposed for quartan curves with a single diameter. monodichlaˈmydeous a. Bot. [cf. monochlamydeous], ‘having indifferently either a calyx only, or both calyx and corolla’ (Treas. Bot. 1866). ˈmonodiet, a diet confined to one type of food. monodiˈmensional a., existing in or having only one dimension; linear. monodiˈmetric a. Cryst. = dimetric. monodiˈsperse a. Physical Chem., (of a dispersed phase) present as particles all of the same mass; (of a sol) containing such a phase. monoˈdistich (nonce-wd.), a distich forming a complete poem. monoˈdynamous a. Bot. [Gr. δύναµις power; after didynamous], having one stamen much longer than the rest (Mayne). monoenerˈgetic a. Physics, (consisting of particles) of the same energy; emitting radiation all of one energy. moˈnœstrous a. Zool. [œstrum 2b, œstrus 2b] (see quot.). ˈmonofil, ˈmonofilament, a single strand of man-made fibre; freq. attrib. monoˈflagellate a. Zool. = monomastigate. monoˈfunctional a. Chem., having or corresponding to a single functional group per molecule. monoˈganglial a. Path. [see ganglion 1], epithet of a bubo affecting only one gland. monogangliˈonic a., having a single ganglion (Cent. Dict.). ˈmonogerm a. Agric., (of a sugar-beet variety or seed produced by it) having or consisting of only one seed in each seed ball; (cf. multigerm s.v. multi- 3). monoˈglacial a., applied to the theory that there was only one ice age; so monoˈglacialism, the monoglacial theory. monoˈglacialist n. and a., (of or pertaining to) a supporter of this theory. monogoˈneutic a. Ent. [Gr. γονεύ-ειν to beget], having only one brood a year (Syd. Soc. Lex.). monogonoˈporic, -goˈnoporous adjs. Zool. [Gr. γόν-ος generation + πόρ-ος passage], having only one sexual aperture or generative pore, as certain dendrocœle worms (Cent. Dict.); moˈnolobite, a trilobite in which the division into three lobes is not distinctly marked (Ibid.). monoˈlobular a. Path., having a single lobule or lobe. monoˈlocular a. Bot. and Path., having a single cavity or cell, unilocular (Mayne). ˈmonolog Linguistics (see quots.). monoˈmastigate a. Zool. [Gr. µαστῑγ-, µάστιξ whip], of infusorians, having a single flagellum, uniflagellate (Cent. Dict.). monomeroˈsomatous a. Zool. [Gr. µονοµερ-ής consisting of one part (µέρ-ος part) + σωµατ-, σῶµα body], having the body formed of one segment, as the order Monomerosomata of Arachnida in Leach's classification (Mayne). monoˈmictic a. [Gr. µικτός mixed], applied to a lake in which there is only one overturn each year. monomineˈralic a. Petrol., composed of a single mineral. monoˈneuran [Gr. νεῦρ-ον nerve], a member of Rudolphi's division Mononeura of animals with only a ganglionic nervous system (Brande 1842); so monoˈneurous a., belonging to this division (Mayne). monoˈpersonal a., having but one person (Worcester 1860, citing Meadows). ˈmonophane Min. [Gr. µονοϕαν-ής visible alone], obs. synonym of epistilbite, prob. so named because it has one very distinct and brilliant cleavage (Chester). moˈnophanous a. [see prec.], ‘similar in appearance’ (Maunder 1830). ˈmonoplacid a. Zool. [Gr. πλακ-οῦς flat cake], having but one madreporic plate, as a star-fish (Cent. Dict.). monoˈpleurid [pleura], one of the family Monopleuridæ of bivalves. monoˈpleurobranch a., belonging to the sub-order Monopleurobranchiata of gastropods, which have gills only on one side; n., a member of this sub-order (Cent. Dict.); so monopleuroˈbranchian (Brande 1842), monopleuroˈbranchiate (Cent. Dict.). monopneuˈmonian a. (and n.) Zool. [Gr. πνεύµων lung], belonging to the Monopneumona or fishes with one lung; so monoˈpneumonous a. (Cent. Dict.). monoˈprostyle a., of a colonnade, consisting of a single row of columns placed in advance of the wall of a building. monopteˈrygian a. (and n.) Zool. [Gr. πτερυγ-, πτέρυξ wing, fin], belonging to the order Monopterygii or fishes with one fin (Cent. Dict.); so monopteˈrygious a. (Mayne). ˈmonopulse, used attrib. and absol. to designate (the mode of operation of) radar in which the direction (and usu. also the range) of a target is precisely determined from a single echo pulse that is detected using two or more adjacent aerials. monoˈpylean a. (and n.) Zool. [Gr. πύλη gate], belonging to the group Monopyleæ of radiolarians, which have a single pseudopodal opening (Cent. Dict.). monoˈschemic a. Pros. [Gr. µονόσχηµ-ος of but one form, f. σχῆµα form], consisting of one form of foot throughout (Ibid.). ˈmono-sentence nonce-wd., a brief or insufficient sentence. monosoˈmatic a. Cryst. [Gr. σωµατ-, σῶµα body] (see quot.). monoˈsomatous a. Zool. [see prec.], having a single body or cell, as a rhizopod (Cent. Dict.). ˈmono-sound rare—1, an abrupt single sound. ˈmonospasm, spasm confined to one side. mono-speˈcific a. Biol., affecting or containing only one species. ˈmonostach, moˈnostachous, monoˈstachyous adjs. Bot. [mod.L. monostachyus, Gr. στάχυ-ς ear of corn], bearing a single spike. monoˈstatic a., (of radar) having a single aerial as both transmitter and receiver. monoˈstigmatous a. Bot., having but one stigma (Mayne). ˈmonostylous a. Bot., having but one style (Mayne). monosymptoˈmatic a. Med., having a single dominant symptom; also in Psychol. and more general use. monoˈtelephone, a telephone adapted for transmitting sounds of definite pitch; hence monoteleˈphonic a. (Cent. Dict.). monoˈthelious a. Zool. [Gr. θῆλ-υς female], applied to species in which several males serve to fecundate a single female; polyandrous (Ibid.). monoˈthetic a. (a) Philos. [Gr. θετικ-ός positing, pertaining to a thesis], ‘positing or supposing a single essential element’ (Ibid.); (b) Taxonomy, (of a classification) having groups formed on the basis of a single characteristic, or a series of single characteristics; hence monoˈthetically adv. moˈnotomous a. Min. [Gr. τοµ-ή cutting, section], having a cleavage distinct only in a single direction. ˈmonotower, used attrib. and absol. to designate a crane whose jib is mounted on a single tower. mono-unˈsaturated a. Chem., (of a compound) saturated except for one multiple bond (usu. between carbon atoms) at which addition can normally occur. monoˈxenic a. Parasitology [Gr. ξένος stranger], applied to a culture, or the cultivation, of a parasitic organism in the presence of a single other species. monoˈxenous a. Parasitology [a. G. monoxen (A. de Bary 1867, in Bot. Zeitung XXV. 264/1), f. Gr. ξένος stranger], of a parasitic plant or animal: restricted to a single host species during its entire life-cycle.