Meaning & use
monotype
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Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A print made by painting or inking an image on a smooth plate and pressing it once onto paper, so no two are exactly alike.
Grammar: Countable: one monotype, two monotypes.
Patterns
- make a monotype
- a monotype of something
She made a monotype by rolling ink onto a glass plate and pressing it onto damp paper.
The gallery hung a monotype next to the artist's oil paintings.
Because the plate can only be pressed once, every monotype is unique.
noununcountabletechnical
A method of printing in which a single impression is taken from a prepared surface, rather than many identical copies.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the technique: use monotype, not a monotype.
Patterns
- in monotype
- the technique of monotype
The workshop teaches monotype as a way to experiment with color.
He works in monotype because he likes the surprise of the final image.
Word forms
| plural | monotypes |
|---|
Common combinations
- make a monotype
- Students make a monotype in the first printmaking class.
- a monotype print
- The exhibition included a monotype print from 1962.
- monotype technique
- The monotype technique produces soft, painterly textures.
Synonyms and how they differ
- A general word for any image transferred from a plate; monotype is a specific kind that yields only one good impression.
Word family
- monotypy noun
- The state or practice of producing single unique prints.
Commonly confused: monotype or monoprint? monotype or monotype?
monotype vs monoprint
A monoprint is also a one-off print, but it usually starts from a plate that already has a permanent design; a monotype is made from a plain surface each time.
monotype vs monotype
As a trademark, Monotype also names a typeface company; in art contexts it means the printmaking method.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'monotype' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A monotype is a single unique print, so 'only one impression' fits. The first option describes many identical copies, which is the opposite of monotype; the third confuses it with a chemical mixture, and the fourth treats it as a physical object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “monotype”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.