monochrome

American  

[mon-uh-krohm] / ˈmɒn əˌkroʊm /

noun

monochromes plural

1. a painting or drawing in different shades of a single color.

2. the art or technique of producing such a painting or drawing.

3. the state or condition of being painted, decorated, etc., in shades of a single color.

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adjective

1. being or made in the shades of a single color.

   a blue monochrome seascape.

2. having the images reproduced in tones of gray.

   monochrome television.

monochrome British  

/ ˈmɒnəˌkrəʊm /

noun

1. a black-and-white photograph or transparency

2. photog black and white

3. 1. a painting, drawing, etc, done in a range of tones of a single colour

   2. the technique or art of this

4. (modifier) executed in or resembling monochrome

   a monochrome print

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adjective

1. devoid of any distinctive or stimulating characteristics

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• monochromist
  noun
• monochromy
  noun
• monochromic
  adjective
• monochromical
  adjective
• monochromically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monochromes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of monochrome

From the Medieval Latin word monochrōma, dating back to 1655–65. See mono-, -chrome

Explanation

Things that are monochrome have different tones or shades of only one color. If you prefer to use monochrome film, it means that you love black and white photography. Use the adjective monochrome to describe something that's a single color. If you've ever watched an old black-and-white movie, you know what monochrome film looks like. You can also call a black-and-white photograph a monochrome. The Greek root, monochromos, means "of a single color," from monos, "single or one," and khroma, "color." Originally, it referred to art drawn or painted in tones of one color.

Related Words

• consistent
• continual
• nonstop
• perpetual
• regular
• stable
• steady
• unbroken
• uninterrupted