Monostich
/ˈmɒnəʊ.stɪk/noun
A poem or inscription consisting of a single line.
Did you know?Monostich comes from Greek poetic terminology, where a single line could stand alone as a complete utterance, proving that even one line was once treated like a powerful verbal unit.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
μονόστιχον (monóstichon)
“a single line of verse”
Late Latin
Latin
monostichon
“a monostich, a poem of one line”
Middle French
French
monostiche
“a one-line verse”
16th-17th Century
English
monostich
“a poem or inscription of one line”
Modern English
English
monostich
“a poem or inscription consisting of a single line”