monaural
monaural Lexical Profile
monaural Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to, designating, or utilizing a single channel of sound transmission, recording, or reproduction.
"The archival jazz album was originally released as a monaural recording before stereo technology became the industry standard."
Relating to, involving, or designed for hearing with only one ear.
"Call center operators often prefer a lightweight monaural headset so they can still hear colleagues speaking in the office."
Word Nuance & Usage
In strict technical usage, 'monaural' refers to sound perceived by a single ear, whereas 'monophonic' refers to audio transmitted through a single channel; however, the two terms are frequently used interchangeably in everyday contexts.
• Rhymes for monaural
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 19th century from the prefix 'mon-' (from Ancient Greek 'monos', meaning 'single' or 'alone') and 'aural' (from Latin 'auris', meaning 'ear').