monochrome

English

WOTD – 30 December 2009, 30 December 2010

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μονόχρωμος (monókhrōmos), from μόνος (mónos, “one”) + χρῶμα (khrôma, “color”); mono- +‎ -chrome.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɒn.əˌkɹəʊm/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑn.əˌkɹoʊm/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

monochrome (countable and uncountable, plural monochromes)

1. A black and white image, especially such a photograph.
2. (dated) A painting executed in shades of a single colour.
3. A ceramic glaze of a single colour; an object so glazed.

Derived terms

• monochromator
• monochromist

Translations

black and white image

• Finnish: mustavalkokuva, harmaasävykuva
• German: Schwarzweißbild (de) n, Schwarzweißfotografie (de) f
• Japanese: モノクローム (ja) (monokurōmu)
• Manx: undaah m
• Norwegian: monokrom m, svarthvittbilde n
• Polish: czarno-biała fotografia
• Russian: чёрно-белое изображе́ние n (čórno-beloje izobražénije)
• Spanish: imagen monocromática f, imagen en blanco y negro f
• Welsh: unlliw (cy)

painting executed in shades of a single colour

• Finnish: kameepiirros, monokromaattinen maalaus
• Polish: monochrom (pl) m
• Russian: однокрасочное (ru) (odnokrasočnoje) изображе́ние (ru) n (izobražénije)
• Spanish: pintura monocromática f

Adjective

monochrome (not comparable)

1. Having only one colour.

   Synonyms: monochromatic; monocolor, monocoloured; monotone; unicolor, unicolored

   Coordinate term: see at polychrome

   • 2019 July 3, Filip, “LEGO Microfigures, Minifigures, and Nanofigures”, in Minifigures Blog‎^[1], archived from the original on 26 September 2021:

     They are often used as decorations, like in set 9526 Star Wars Palpatine Arrest (2012) were two pearl gold monochrome minifigures represent statues.

2. (photography) Representing colours with shades of gray.

   Synonyms: grayscale, greyscale

Translations

having only one colour

• Armenian: միագույն (hy) (miaguyn)
• Bulgarian: едноцветен (ednocveten)
• Catalan: monocrom, monocromàtic (ca)
• Danish: monokromatisk, ensfarvet
• Estonian: monokroomne
• Finnish: yksivärinen
• French: monochrome (fr), monocolore (fr), unicolore (fr)
• Galician: monocolor, monocor, monocromo (gl), unicor, unicolor
• German: einfarbig (de), monochrom (de)
• Hebrew: מונוכרומטי
• Icelandic: einlitur (is)
• Irish: monacrómatach
• Italian: monocolore (it), monocromo (it), unicolore
• Japanese: 単色 (ja) (たんしょく, tanshoku)
• Malay: ekawarna (ms)
• Manx: undaahagh
• Māori: taetahi
• Norwegian: ensfarget
• Persian: تکفام (takfâm)
• Polish: monochromatyczny (pl), jednobarwny (pl)
• Portuguese: monocolor, monocromático (pt), monocromo, unicolor
• Romanian: monocrom (ro), monocromatic (ro)
• Russian: монохро́мный (ru) (monoxrómnyj), чёрно-белый (ru) (čórno-belyj), одноцветный (ru) (odnocvetnyj)
• Spanish: monocolor, monocromático (es), monocromo (es), unicolor
• Swedish: monokrom (sv)
• Tagalog: sangkulayin

of a photograph, representing colours with shades of gray

• Armenian: սև-սպիտակ (hy) (sew-spitak)
• Finnish: mustavalkoinen (fi)
• Japanese: 単色 (ja) (たんしょく, tanshoku)
• Manx: undaahagh
• Norwegian: monokromatisk, svarthvit
• Polish: czarno-biały (pl)
• Romanian: monocrom (ro)
• Russian: чёрно-белый (ru) (čórno-belyj)
• Spanish: blanco y negro, en blanco y negro

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} monochrome (fr)

Related terms

• monochromatic

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μονόχρωμος (monókhrōmos), from μόνος (mónos, “one”) + χρῶμα (khrôma, “color”). By surface analysis, mono- +‎ chrome.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔ.nɔ.kʁom/, /mɔ.no.kʁom/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

• Homophone: monochromes
• Hyphenation: mo‧no‧chrome

Adjective

monochrome (plural monochromes)

1. monochrome

   Synonyms: monochromatique, unicolore

Further reading

• “monochrome”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

German

Pronunciation

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

monochrome

1. inflection of monochrom:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular