Monk Monk noun [ Anglo-Saxon munuc , munec , munc , Latin monachus , Greek ..., from mo`nos alone. Confer Monachism .] 1. A man who retires from the ordinary temporal concerns of the world, and devotes himself to religion; one of a religious community of men inhabiting a monastery, and bound by vows to a life of chastity, obedience, and poverty. "A monk out of his cloister." Chaucer.

Monks in some respects agree with regulars, as in the substantial vows of religion; but in other respects monks and regulars differ; for that regulars, vows excepted, are not tied up to so strict a rule of life as monks are.

Ayliffe.

2. (Print.) A blotch or spot of ink on a printed page, caused by the ink not being properly distributed. It is distinguished from a friar , or white spot caused by a deficiency of ink.

3. A piece of tinder made of agaric, used in firing the powder hose or train of a mine.

4. (Zoology) (a) A South American monkey ( Pithecia monachus ); also applied to other species, as Cebus xanthocephalus . (b) The European bullfinch.

Monk bat (Zoology) , a South American and West Indian bat ( Molossus nasutus ); -- so called because the males live in communities by themselves. -- Monk bird (Zoology) , the friar bird. -- Monk seal (Zoology) , a species of seal ( Monachus albiventer ) inhabiting the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the adjacent parts of the Atlantic. -- Monk's rhubarb (Botany) , a kind of dock; -- also called patience ( Rumex Patientia ).

Monk's seam Monk's" seam` (Nautical) An extra middle seam made at the junction of two breadths of canvas, ordinarily joined by only two rows of stitches.

Monkery Monk"er·y noun ; plural Monkeries 1. The life of monks; monastic life; monastic usage or customs; -- now usually applied by way of reproach.

Miters, and wretched dead mediæval monkeries .

Carlyle.

2. A collective body of monks. [ Obsolete]

Though he have a whole monkery to sing for him.

Latimer.

Monkey Mon"key noun ; plural Monkeys . [ Confer OIt. monicchio , Italian monnino , dim. of monna an ape, also dame, mistress, contr. from madonna . See Madonna .] 1. (Zoology) (a) In the most general sense, any one of the Quadrumana, including apes, baboons, and lemurs. (b) Any species of Quadrumana, except the lemurs. (c) Any one of numerous species of Quadrumana (esp. such as have a long tail and prehensile feet) exclusive of apes and baboons.

» The monkeys are often divided into three groups: ( a ) Catarrhines , or Simidæ . These have an oblong head, with the oblique flat nostrils near together. Some have no tail, as the apes. All these are natives of the Old World. ( b ) Platyrhines , or Cebidæ . These have a round head, with a broad nasal septum, so that the nostrils are wide apart and directed downward. The tail is often prehensile, and the thumb is short and not opposable. These are natives of the New World. ( c ) Strepsorhines , or Lemuroidea . These have a pointed head with curved nostrils. They are natives of Southern Asia, Africa, and Madagascar.

2. A term of disapproval, ridicule, or contempt, as for a mischievous child.

This is the monkey's own giving out; she is persuaded I will marry her.

Shak.

3. The weight or hammer of a pile driver, that is, a very heavy mass of iron, which, being raised on high, falls on the head of the pile, and drives it into the earth; the falling weight of a drop hammer used in forging.

4. A small trading vessel of the sixteenth century.

Monkey boat . (Nautical) (a) A small boat used in docks . (b) A half- decked boat used on the River Thames. -- Monkey block (Nautical) , a small single block strapped with a swivel. R. H. Dana, Jr. -- Monkey flower (Botany) , a plant of the genus Mimulus ; -- so called from the appearance of its gaping corolla. Gray. -- Monkey gaff (Nautical) , a light gaff attached to the topmast for the better display of signals at sea. -- Monkey jacket , a short closely fitting jacket, worn by sailors. -- Monkey rail (Nautical) , a second and lighter rail raised about six inches above the quarter rail of a ship. -- Monkey shine , monkey trick. [ Slang, U.S.] -- Monkey trick , a mischievous prank. Saintsbury. -- Monkey wheel . See Gin block , under 5th Gin . -- Monkey wrench , a wrench or spanner having a movable jaw.

Monkey Mon"key transitive verb & i. To act or treat as a monkey does; to ape; to act in a grotesque or meddlesome manner.

To monkey with , to handle in a meddlesome manner. [ Colloq.]

Monkey-bread Mon"key-bread` noun (Botany) The fruit of the Adansonia digitata ; also, the tree. See Adansonia .

Monkey-cup Mon"key-cup` noun (Botany) See Nepenthes .

Monkey-pot Mon"key-pot` noun (Zoology) The fruit of two South American trees ( Lecythis Ollaria , and Latin Zabucajo ), which have for their fruit large, pot-shaped, woody capsules containing delicious nuts, and opening almost explosively by a circular lid at the top. Vases and pots are made of this capsule.

Monkey's puzzle Mon"key's puz"zle (Botany) A lofty coniferous Chilian tree ( Araucaria imbricata ), the branches of which are so crowded and intertwisted "as to puzzle a monkey to climb." The edible nuts are over an inch long, and are called piñon by the Chilians.

Monkeytail Mon"key·tail` noun (Nautical) A short, round iron bar or lever used in naval gunnery. Totten.

Monkfish Monk"fish noun (Zoology) (a) The angel fish ( Squatina ). (b) The angler ( Lophius ).

Monkflower Monk"flow`er noun (Botany) A name of certain curious orchids which bear three kinds of flowers formerly referred to three genera, but now ascertained to be sexually different forms of the same genus ( Catasetum tridentatum , etc.).

Monkhood Monk"hood noun [ Monk + - hood .] 1. The character or condition of a monk. Atterbury.

2. Monks, regarded collectively. Longfellow.

Monking Monk"ing adjective Monkish. [ R.] Coleridge.

Monkish Monk"ish adjective Like a monk, or pertaining to monks; monastic; as, monkish manners; monkish dress; monkish solitude. -- Monk"ish*ness , noun

Monkly Monk"ly adjective Like, or suitable to, a monk. [ R.]

Monkshood Monks"hood` noun (Botany) A plant of the genus Aconitum ; aconite. See Aconite .

Mono Mo"no noun [ Spanish ] (Zoology) The black howler of Central America ( Mycetes villosus ).

Mono-, Mon- Mon"o-, Mon- [ Greek ....] A prefix signifying one, single , alone ; as, mono carp, mono poly; (Chemistry) indicating that a compound contains one atom , radical , or group of that to the name of which it is united; as, mon oxide, mono sulphide, mon atomic, etc.

Monobasic Mon`o·ba"sic adjective [ Mono- + basic .] (Chemistry) Capable of being neutralized by a univalent base or basic radical; having but one acid hydrogen atom to be replaced; -- said of acids; as, acetic, nitric, and hydrochloric acids are monobasic .

Monocarbonic Mon`o·car·bon"ic adjective [ Mono- + carbonic .] (Chemistry) Containing one carboxyl group; as, acetic acid is a monocarbonic acid.

Monocardian Mon`o·car"di·an adjective [ Mono- + Greek ... heart.] (Zoology) Having a single heart, as fishes and amphibians. -- noun An animal having a single heart.

Monocarp Mon"o·carp noun (Botany) A monocarpic plant.

Monocarpellary Mon`o·car"pel·la·ry adjective [ Mono- + carpellary .] (Botany) Consisting of a single carpel, as the fruit of the pea, cherry, and almond.

Monocarpic, Monocarpous Mon`o·car"pic, Mon`o·car"pous adjective [ Mono- + Greek ... fruit: confer French monocarpe .] (Botany) Bearing fruit but once, and dying after fructification, as beans, maize, mustard, etc.

» Annual and biennual herbs are monocarpic, so also some plants of longer duration, as the century plant.

Monocephalous Mon`o·ceph"a·lous adjective [ Mono- + Greek kefalh` head.] (Botany) Having a solitary head; -- said of unbranched composite plants.

Monoceros Mo·noc"e·ros noun [ Latin , from Greek ...; mo`nos alone, single + ke`ras horn.] 1. A one-horned creature; a unicorn; a sea monster with one horn.

Mighty monoceroses with immeasured tails.

Spenser.

2. (Astron.) The Unicorn, a constellation situated to the east Orion.

Monochlamydeous Mon`o·chla·myd"e·ous adjective [ Mono- + Greek ..., ..., cloak: confer French monochlamydé .] (Botany) Having a single floral envelope, that is, a calyx without a corolla, or, possibly, in rare cases, a corolla without a calyx.

Monochord Mon"o·chord noun [ Latin monochordon , Greek ..., from ... with but one string; ... only, single + ... string: confer French monocorde . See Chord , and confer Mainchord .] (Mus.) An instrument for experimenting upon the mathematical relations of musical sounds. It consists of a single string stretched between two bridges, one or both of which are movable, and which stand upon a graduated rule for the purpose of readily changing and measuring the length of the part of the string between them.

Monochromatic Mon`o·chro·mat"ic adjective [ Confer French monochromatique . See Monochrome .] Consisting of one color, or presenting rays of light of one color only.

Monochromatic lamp (Opt.) , a lamp whose flame yields rays of some one homogenous light. It is of great importance in optical experiments.

Monochrome Mon"o·chrome noun [ Greek ... of one color; mo`nos single + ... color: confer French monochrome .] A painting or drawing in a single color; a picture made with a single color.

Monochromic Mon`o·chro"mic adjective Made, or done, with a single color; as, a monochromic picture.

Monochromy Mon"o·chro`my noun The art of painting or drawing in monochrome.

Monochronic Mon`o·chron"ic adjective [ Mono- + Greek ... time.] Existing at the same time; contemporaneous.

Monociliated Mon`o·cil"i·a`ted adjective [ Mono- + ciliated .] (Biol.) Having but one cilium.

Monocle Mon"o·cle noun [ French See Monocular .] An eyeglass for one eye. Simmonds.

Monoclinal Mon`o·cli"nal adjective [ See Monoclinic .] (Geol.) Having one oblique inclination; -- applied to strata that dip in only one direction from the axis of elevation.

Monocline Mon"o·cline noun (Geol.) A monoclinal fold.

Monoclinic Mon`o·clin"ic adjective [ Mono- + Greek ... to incline.] (Crystallog.) Having one oblique intersection; -- said of that system of crystallization in which the vertical axis is inclined to one, but at right angles to the other, lateral axis. See Crystallization .

Monoclinous Mo·noc"li·nous adjective [ Mono- + Greek ... couch, from ... to lie down: confer French monocline .] (Botany) Hermaphrodite, or having both stamens and pistils in every flower.

Monocondyla Mon`o·con"dy·la noun plural [ New Latin See Mono- , and Condyle .] (Zoology) A group of vertebrates, including the birds and reptiles, or those that have only one occipital condyle; the Sauropsida.

Monocotyl Mon"o·co·tyl noun (Botany) Any monocotyledonous plant.

Monocotyle Mon"o·co·tyle adjective [ Confer French monocotyle .] (Botany) Monocotyledonous.

Monocotyledon Mon`o·cot`y·le"don noun [ Mono- + cotyledon : confer French monocotylédone .] (Botany) A plant with only one cotyledon, or seed lobe.

» The plural, monocotyledons , is used as the name of a large class of plants, and is generally understood to be equivalent to the term endogens .

Monocotyledonous Mon`o·cot`y·le"don·ous adjective [ Confer French monocotylédoné .] (Botany) Having only one cotyledon, seed lobe, or seminal leaf. Lindley.

Monocracy Mo·noc"ra·cy noun [ Mono- + -cracy , as in democracy .] Government by a single person; undivided rule. Sydney Smith.

Monocrat Mon"o·crat noun [ Confer Greek ... ruling alone.] One who governs alone.

Monocrotic Mon`o·crot"ic adjective (Physiol.) Of, pertaining to, or showing, monocrotism; as, a monocrotic pulse; a pulse of the monocrotic type.

Monocrotism Mo·noc"ro·tism noun [ Greek mo`nos alone + ... a beating.] (Physiol.) That condition of the pulse in which the pulse curve or sphygmogram shows but a single crest, the dicrotic elevation entirely disappearing.

Monocular Mo·noc"u·lar adjective [ Latin monoculus ; Greek mo`nos single + Latin oculus eye: confer French monoculaire .] 1. Having only one eye; with one eye only; as, monocular vision.

2. Adapted to be used with only one eye at a time; as, a monocular microscope.

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