monocle
[mon-uh-kuh l]
- an eyeglass for one eye.
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Origin of monocle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for monocle
Contemporary Examples
Her work has also appeared in The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Monocle magazine (UK) and The Globe and Mail.
Historical Examples
"Mr. Bellmer's an overgrown cherub with a monocle," I laughed.
The Bacillus of BeautyHarriet Stark
His monocle was in his eye, and it shone on Kenyon as he entered.
A Woman IntervenesRobert Barr
He had a monocle screwed into one eye which made him look fierce and tough.
A Yankee Flier Over BerlinAl Avery
He had a monocle in his right eye which he kept adjusting nervously.
Secret ArmiesJohn L. Spivak
Educated in England, where he acquired his accent and the monocle habit.
From Place to PlaceIrvin S. Cobb
monocle
- a lens for correcting defective vision of one eye, held in position by the facial muscles
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Word Origin
C19: from French, from Late Latin monoculus one-eyed, from mono- + oculus eye
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
Word Origin and History for monocle
n.
"single eyeglass," 1886, from French monocle, noun use of adjective monocle "one-eyed, blind in one eye" (13c.), from Late Latin monoculus "one-eyed," from Greek monos "single, alone" (see mono-) + Latin oculus "eye" (see eye (n.)).
That this, a hybrid, a Gallicism, and a word with no obvious meaning to the Englishman who hears it for the first time, should have ousted the entirely satisfactory eyeglass is a melancholy illustration of the popular taste in language. [Fowler]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper