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monolith

 - 3 dictionary results

mon⋅o⋅lith

  [mon-uh-lith]
Use monolith in a Sentence
–noun
1. an obelisk, column, large statue, etc., formed of a single block of stone.
2. a single block or piece of stone of considerable size, esp. when used in architecture or sculpture.
3. something having a uniform, massive, redoubtable, or inflexible quality or character.
Origin:
1820–30; < L monolithus < Gk monólithos made of one stone. See mono-, -lith

Related forms:
mon⋅o⋅lith⋅ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To monolith
mon·o·lith   (mŏn'ə-lĭth')   
n.  

  1. A large block of stone, especially one used in architecture or sculpture.

  2. Something, such as a column or monument, made from one large block of stone.

  3. Something suggestive of a large block of stone, as in immovability, massiveness, or uniformity.


[French monolithe, from Greek monolithos, consisting of a single stone : mono-, mono- + lithos, stone.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

monolith 
1848, "column consisting of a single large block of stone," from Fr. monolithe, from L. monolithus (adj.) "consisting of a single stone," from Gk. monotlithos, from monos "single, alone" + lithos "stone." Monolithic is first attested 1825. The transf. and fig. use of the noun is from 1934, of the adj. from 1920.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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