mono
ˈmɑːnoʊ
One colour is mono; one company owning the route is mono too
The picture A place where several could stand, and exactly one stands there. Only what is left alone changes. mono is exactly one; poly is many of the same linked up.
Where the picture shows up in mono
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One colour
Keep the room monochrome, white walls only.
kiːp ðə ruːm ˈmɑːnəkroʊm waɪt wɔːlz ˈoʊnli
Keep the room monochrome, white walls only.
One white tin lifted out of a row of paint tins and taken across every wall.
chrome means colour.
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One pitch
His voice was a flat monotone on the phone.
hɪz vɔɪs wəz ə flæt ˈmɑːnətoʊn ɑːn ðə foʊn
His voice was a flat monotone on the phone.
A sound line that never climbs or drops, just runs dead straight across.
tone is the height of a sound.
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One seller
One company has a monopoly on this route.
wʌn ˈkʌmpəni hæz ə məˈnɑːpəli ɑːn ðɪs ruːt
One company has a monopoly on this route.
One shop on the whole street, and everyone queuing at that one door.
Its opposite sits with poly — many doors to choose from.
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One language
Most of our customers are monolingual.
moʊst əv aʊr ˈkʌstəmərz ər ˌmɑːnoʊˈlɪŋɡwəl
Most of our customers are monolingual.
One single stream of speech out of the mouth, and a shake of the head at anything else.
lingua means tongue or language.
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One rail
Take the monorail to terminal two.
teɪk ðə ˈmɑːnoʊreɪl tə ˈtɜːrmɪnəl tuː
Take the monorail to terminal two.
Where two tracks should run, a single beam sits up in the air with the car riding on top of it.
All of it in one picture
mono just says 'only one'. One colour gives monochrome, one pitch gives a monotone voice, one seller gives a monopoly. One language in a customer's mouth makes them monolingual, one rail laid down makes a monorail. So when mono shows up, look for what there is only one of.