monad

[ mon-ad, moh-nad ]

/ ˈmɒn æd, ˈmoʊ næd /

noun

Biology.

any simple, single-celled organism.
any of various small, flagellate, colorless ameboids with one to three flagella, especially of the genus Monas.

Chemistry. an element, atom, or group having a valence of one.Compare dyad(def 3), triad(def 2a).

Philosophy.

(in the metaphysics of Leibniz) an unextended, indivisible, and indestructible entity that is the basic or ultimate constituent of the universe and a microcosm of it.
(in the philosophy of Giordano Bruno) a basic and irreducible metaphysical unit that is spatially and psychically individuated.
any basic metaphysical entity, especially having an autonomous life.

a single unit or entity.

Nearby words

monachal, monachism, monacid, monacillo, monaco, monad, monadelphous, monades, monadic, monadism, monadnock

Origin of monad

1605–15; < Late Latin monad- (stem of monas) < Greek (stem of monás): unity. See mon-, -ad¹

Related forms

mo·nad·ic

[muh-nad-ik] /məˈnæd ɪk/, mo·nad·i·cal, mo·nad·al, adjectivemo·nad·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for monadic

It is the monadic essence, or material used in creation, or it may be called the outpouring of Divine force into matter.
Ghosts I Have Seen|Violet Tweedale

British Dictionary definitions for monadic (1 of 2)

monadic

/ (mɒˈnædɪk) /

adjective

being or relating to a monad

logic maths (of an operator, predicate, etc) having only a single argument place

British Dictionary definitions for monadic (2 of 2)

monad

/ (ˈmɒnæd, ˈməʊ-) /

noun

plural -ads or -ades (-əˌdiːz) philosophy

any fundamental singular metaphysical entity, esp if autonomous
(in the metaphysics of Leibnitz) a simple indestructible nonspatial element regarded as the unit of which reality consists
(in the pantheistic philosophy of Giordano Bruno) a fundamental metaphysical unit that is spatially extended and psychically aware

a single-celled organism, esp a flagellate protozoan

an atom, ion, or radical with a valency of one

Also called (for senses 1, 2): monas

Derived Forms

monadical, adjectivemonadically, adverb

Word Origin for monad

C17: from Late Latin monas, from Greek: unit, from monos alone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for monadic

monad

[ mō′năd′ ]

n.

An atom or a radical with a valence of 1.

A single-celled microorganism, especially a protozoan of the genus Monas.

Any of the four chromatids of a tetrad that, after the first and second meiotic divisions, separate to become the chromosomal material in each of the four daughter cells.

Related forms

mo•nad′ic (mə-năd′ik) null adj.