I. ˈmän ə lˌith, ˈmōn- noun
( -s )
Etymology: French monolithe, from monolithe, adjective, monolithic, from Latin monolithus, from Greek monolithos, from mon- + lithos stone
1.
a.
(1) : a single great stone often in the form of an obelisk or column
the 120-ton monoliths on three sides of the choir altar — American Guide Series: Maine
— compare megalith
(2) : something resembling a monolith and usually having tremendous size or strength : colossus
weld together even more tightly the parallel monoliths of party and state — Time
his friends see him as a pillar of determination; his enemies consider him a thick-skinned monolith — Newsweek
b.
(1) : a single large block of concrete serving a specific purpose
(2) : one of many large blocks cast in place to form gravity-type concrete dams
2. : a mountain or large hill apparently composed of one kind of rock usually of a coarse-grained igneous rock
3. : a column of soil several feet deep removed as a unit
II. adjective
Etymology: French monolithe
: monolithic