Monochromes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A form of artistic expression that employs a single hue in various tones to create unity and depth within the composition
2. An artistic approach that revolves around the use of one color and its variants to develop visual richness and coherence in a piece
3. Artworks created exclusively with one color and its different shades to produce a cohesive visual effect

Etymology: "Monochromes" is simply the plural of "monochrome," so the word's story is really the story of its parts. It comes from Ancient Greek "monókhrōmos," built from "mónos," meaning "one," and "khrôma," meaning "color." The Greek compound was a straightforward descriptive label: a thing of one color. Two English pieces make up the word: "mono-," from the same Greek "mónos," and "-chrome," from "khrôma." Those same building blocks show up in many other modern words, such as "monotone" and "chromatic," which is why the word feels so transparent once you see its parts.