μονάζω

Forms

μονάζω (monázō) ^[1] Imperfect ἐμόναζον, future μονάσω, aorist ἐμόνασα.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek μόνος (mónos, “alone”) + -άζω (-ázō), a verbal suffix.^[1][3] Bailly derives it from μονάς (monás, “unit”).^[4] Beekes derives μόνος (mónos) from Proto-Greek *mónwos, perhaps related to μανός (manós, “thin, rare”).^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in the Septuagint, where the psalmist compares himself to a sparrow living alone on a roof.^[6][7][8]

Semantic evolution

It is a Hellenistic word, meaning “to live alone” or “to keep apart”, as in the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas.^[3][9] Iamblichus uses it of living in solitude in deserts.^[6] Grammarians used it of a word found only once or used on its own, and arithmeticians of unity multiplied by itself.^[6][4]

Christian writers such as Eusebius, Athanasius and Basil used it for leading the life of a monk, and its participle ὁ μονάζων became a word for a monk.^[10][4][3] Medieval vernacular Greek had both senses, to live alone and to become a monk.^[11] From the verb came μοναστήριον (monastḗrion), the source of English monastery, and the Hellenistic μοναστής (monastḗs) “monk”.^[12][3] The participle was borrowed into Old Armenian.^[1] Modern Greek μονάζω (monázo) is a learned word meaning to live as a monk, and jokingly to live alone.^[13]

Timeline

• 2nd century BC – The Septuagint Psalms use it of a sparrow alone on a roof.^[8][7]
• 1st–2nd century AD – The Epistle of Barnabas and Hermas use it of keeping apart.^[9][8]
• 2nd century AD – Apollonius Dyscolus uses it of a word that stands alone.^[6][8][14]
• 3rd–4th century AD – Eusebius uses it for the monastic life, as do Athanasius and Basil after him.^[10][4][14]
• 1100–1669 – Vernacular texts use it for living alone and for becoming a monk.^[11]
• Modern Greek – The learned verb means to live as a monk.^[13]

Meanings

Verb

1. To be alone; to live in solitude, keep apart.^[6][9]
2. (grammar) Of a word, to be a single instance; to be used alone.^[6]
3. (arithmetic) To multiply by one; of unity, to be multiplied into itself.^[6][4]
4. (Christian) To lead the life of a monk; ὁ μονάζων, a monk.^[10][4]

Word family

• μοναστήριον (monastḗrion)
• μοναστής (monastḗs)

Related words

• μόνος (mónos)
• μοναχός (monakhós)
• English monastery

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Korinthios, J. (2025), Grande Dizionario Greco Classico: Greco–Italiano, digital ed., Milan: Hoepli
3. ^ a b c d Babiniotis, Georgios (2010), Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νέας ελληνικής γλώσσας [Etymological Dictionary of Modern Greek], Athens: Κέντρο Λεξικολογίας
4. ^ a b c d e f Bailly, Anatole (2020), Dictionnaire grec-français, Bailly 2020 Hugo Chávez ed., ed. Gérard Gréco et al.
5. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d e f g Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
8. ^ a b c d Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
9. ^ a b c Bauer, Walter; Danker, Frederick W., et al. (2000), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., Chicago: University of Chicago Press
10. ^ a b c Charbonnet, André (2025), Chæréphon, v4.7: supplement to Bailly from papyri, inscriptions and recent lexica
11. ^ a b Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
12. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
13. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
14. ^ a b Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge