μόνος

See also: μονός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• μοῦνος (moûnos) — Epic, Ionic
• μῶνος (mônos) — Doric

Etymology

From Proto-Hellenic *mónwos. For the ending, compare οἶος (oîos, “only, single”) from *óywos.^[1] The etymology of the initial element is uncertain, but it may come from a Proto-Indo-European *men- (“small”); compare Ancient Greek μανός (manós, “sparse, rare”), Armenian մանր (manr, “slender, small”),^[2] and possibly Proto-West Germanic *muniwu (“small fish, minnow”).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /mó.nos/ → /ˈmo.nos/ → /ˈmo.nos/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /mó.nos/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈmo.nos/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈmo.nos/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈmo.nos/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈmo.nos/

Adjective

μόνος • (mónos) m (feminine μόνη, neuter μόνον); first/second declension (Attic, Koine, Byzantine)

1. alone, forsaken, solitary
2. only
3. unique

Declension

Number		Singular				Dual				Plural
Case/Gender		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative		μόνος mónos	μόνη mónē	μόνον mónon		μόνω mónō	μόνᾱ mónā	μόνω mónō		μόνοι mónoi	μόναι mónai	μόνᾰ móna
Genitive		μόνου mónou	μόνης mónēs	μόνου mónou		μόνοιν mónoin	μόναιν mónain	μόνοιν mónoin		μόνων mónōn	μόνων mónōn	μόνων mónōn
Dative		μόνῳ mónōi	μόνῃ mónēi	μόνῳ mónōi		μόνοιν mónoin	μόναιν mónain	μόνοιν mónoin		μόνοις mónois	μόναις mónais	μόνοις mónois
Accusative		μόνον mónon	μόνην mónēn	μόνον mónon		μόνω mónō	μόνᾱ mónā	μόνω mónō		μόνους mónous	μόνᾱς mónās	μόνᾰ móna
Vocative		μόνε móne	μόνη mónē	μόνον mónon		μόνω mónō	μόνᾱ mónā	μόνω mónō		μόνοι mónoi	μόναι mónai	μόνᾰ móna
Derived forms		Adverb				Comparative				Superlative
		μόνως mónōs				μονώτερος monṓteros				μονώτᾰτος monṓtatos
Notes:		This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

First and second declension of μόνος; μόνη; μόνον (Attic)

Derived terms

• μονάζω (monázō)
• μονάς (monás)
• μοναχός (monakhós)
• μονοειδής (monoeidḗs)
• μονόκερως (monókerōs)

 

Descendants

• → English: mono-
• Greek: μόνος (mónos)
• Mariupol Greek: мо́нос (mónos), мо́ну (mónu)

References

1. “mono-, combining form.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
2. Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010) “μόνος”, in Etymological Dictionary of Greek (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 10), with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 965-6

Further reading

• “μόνος”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “μόνος”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• μόνος in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette
• Bauer, Walter et al. (2001) A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• “μόνος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• G3441 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • alone idem, page 25.
  • desolate idem, page 216.
  • isolated idem, page 461.
  • lonely idem, page 498.
  • only idem, page 574.
  • single idem, page 777.
  • single-handed idem, page 779.
  • singly idem, page 779.
  • sole idem, page 792.
  • solitary idem, page 792.
  • unaided idem, page 906.
  • unassisted idem, page 907.
  • unattenend idem, page 907.
  • unsupported idem, page 933.

Greek

Etymology

Inherited from Ancient Greek μόνος (mónos).

Compare Mariupol Greek мо́нос (mónos), мо́ну (mónu).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmonos/
• Hyphenation: μό‧νος

Adjective

μόνος • (mónos) m (feminine μόνη, neuter μόνο)

1. solitary, alone
2. unmarried
3. solo, unaccompanied
4. unique, singular
5. (used with an article) only

   Ο Κώστας ήταν ο μόνος που έτρεξε να βοηθήσει.

   O Kóstas ítan o mónos pou étrexe na voïthísei.

   Kostas was the only one to run for help.

Declension

Declension of μόνος

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	μόνος (mónos)	μόνη (móni)	μόνο (móno)		μόνοι (mónoi)	μόνες (mónes)	μόνα (móna)
genitive	μόνου (mónou)	μόνης (mónis)	μόνου (mónou)		μόνων (mónon)	μόνων (mónon)	μόνων (mónon)
accusative	μόνο (móno)	μόνη (móni)	μόνο (móno)		μόνους (mónous)	μόνες (mónes)	μόνα (móna)
vocative	μόνε (móne)	μόνη (móni)	μόνο (móno)		μόνοι (mónoi)	μόνες (mónes)	μόνα (móna)

Related terms

• μοναδικός (monadikós, “unique”, adjective)
• μονός (monós, “single, odd”, adjective)
• and see: απομονώνω (apomonóno, “to isolate”)

 

Further reading

• μόνος, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language