Contextualizebeta

monolith

noun
/ˈmɒn.ə.lɪθ/UK/ˈmɑn.əˌlɪθ/US/ˈmoːnoːˌlit̪/

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from French monolithe (“object made from a single block of stone”), from Middle French monolythe (“made from a single block of stone”) (rare), and from their etymon Latin monolithus (“made from a single block of stone”), from Ancient Greek μονόλιθος (monólithos, “made from a single block of stone”), from μονο- (mono-, prefix meaning ‘alone; single’) (from μόνος (mónos, “alone; only, unique”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“little, small”)) + λίθος (líthos, “a stone; stone as a substance”); analysable as mono- + -lith. The English word is cognate with German monolith (“made from a single block of stone”). The verb is derived from the noun.

  1. derived from *mey-✻ — “little, small”
  2. derived from μονόλιθος — “made from a single block of stone”
  3. borrowed from monolithus — “made from a single block of stone”
  4. derived from monolythe — “made from a single block of stone”
  5. borrowed from monolithe — “object made from a single block of stone”

Definitions

  1. A large, single block of stone which is a natural feature

    A large, single block of stone which is a natural feature; or a block of stone or other similar material used in architecture and sculpture, especially one carved into a monument in ancient times.

    • Rumour, with her thousand tongues, affirms that the "Prince Albert Memorial" will not take the form of a monolith; we shall not be sorry to learn the fact of some more suitable monument having been decided upon.

  2. Anything massive, uniform, and unmovable, especially a towering and impersonal cultural,…

    Anything massive, uniform, and unmovable, especially a towering and impersonal cultural, political, or social organization or structure.

    • But English society is no monolith, and it is a gross simplification to force it into one mould.

  3. A substrate having many tiny channels that is cast as a single piece, which is used as a…

    A substrate having many tiny channels that is cast as a single piece, which is used as a stationary phase for chromatography, as a catalytic surface, etc.

    • [W]ork performed by Gough et al. looked at the long-term culture (28 days) of craniofacial fibroblasts seeded on to monolith calcium/sodium phosphate glass surfaces.
  4. ›+ 3 more definitions

    1. A dead tree whose height and size have been reduced by breaking off or cutting its…

      A dead tree whose height and size have been reduced by breaking off or cutting its branches.

      • Stumps of older fallen trees, known as upright monoliths, have incredible environmental value and can provide a home and food source for insects for decades.

    2. To create (something) as, or convert (one or more things) into, a monolith.

      • Secondary waste solids such as fines from high-temperature filters and the bag house can be mixed with the bed product and monolithed for disposal.

    3. An unincorporated community in Kern County, California, United States.

The neighborhood

Derived

monolithal, monolithic, monolithically, monolithism

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for monolith. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA