Definition: Monochrome refers to an image, painting, design, or outfit that is composed of shades of a single colour. In photography and printing, it often denotes black and white or greyscale imagery, although it can apply to varying shades of any one colour.
Etymology and Origin: The term ‘monochrome’ comes from two Greek words: ‘mono’, meaning ‘single’ or ‘one’, and ‘chroma’, meaning ‘colour’. The use of the term in English dates back to the early 19th century. Initially, it was predominantly used in the context of art and photography to describe works created in shades of one color, emphasizing form and light rather than a spectrum of colours.
