Nonpolychromatic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterizing something that does not exhibit multiple colors or hues
2. Referring to an object or phenomenon lacking the quality of being multicolored
3. Describing a visual aspect that is uniform in color rather than varied or patterned

Etymology: Nonpolychromatic is a plain English construction with no folk-etymology twist: it is built from the prefix "non-" (Latin "non," "not") attached to "polychromatic," which itself combines Greek "polys," "many," with "chroma," "colour." Together they mean "not having many colours," so the word is simply a negated form of a technical adjective used in art, mineralogy and zoology. The base word "polychromatic" dates from the 19th century, when scientists and art writers needed a precise term for objects or designs displaying several hues. The added "non-" is a later, more transparent layer of the same kind of coinage, which is why the word reads so directly once you split it apart.

Synonyms: monochromatic, single-colored, unicolor, uniform

Antonyms: polychromatic, multicolored, colorful, variegated, multihued