mono

Everyday

1. Mono is short for monophonic: sound recorded or played through one channel, so it comes from one speaker and not left and right like stereo. tree →
2. (US, informal, medicine) Mono is short for mononucleosis, an illness caused by a virus that makes you very tired with a sore throat and swollen glands (in the UK called glandular fever). tree →
3. Mono- at the start of a word means one or single, as in monorail, monologue, monochrome, monotone. tree →
4. (informal) Mono can be short for monochrome (one colour, or black and white). tree →

In the lessons

In science and music lessons it is the opposite of stereo. In maths and science, the prefix mono- means one (a monomer, a monoplane). In health it is the «kissing disease» passed through spit. Phrases: in mono, mono sound, have mono.

Examples

• Old records were recorded in mono. tree →
• Switch the headphones to mono if one ear doesn't work. tree →
• My cousin had mono and missed three weeks of school. tree →
• A monorail runs on just one rail. tree →
• A monologue is a speech by one person. tree →
• Don't share drinks: mono spreads through spit. tree →
• The photo looks great in mono. tree →

Note

A clipped word: say what it is short for. «Mono» (sound) is the opposite of stereo (two channels). The prefix mono- = 1, bi- = 2, tri- = 3, poly- = many: a monoplane has one pair of wings, a biplane two. The illness is called glandular fever in the UK and Australia.