monocrop
|mo-no-crop|
🇺🇸
/ˈmoʊnoʊkrɑp/
🇬🇧
/ˈmɒnəʊkrɒp/
growing one crop repeatedly
Etymology
'monocrop' originates from the combining prefix 'mono-' (from Greek 'monos' meaning 'single') and the English word 'crop' (from Old English 'cropp'), where 'mono-' meant 'single' and 'crop' meant 'plant' or 'produce'.
'monocrop' was formed in modern English by combining the Greek-derived prefix 'mono-' (via Latin/Modern use) with the Old English 'cropp' (from Proto-Germanic roots). The compound emerged in 20th-century agricultural discourse to describe single-crop systems.
Initially it literally meant 'a single crop'; over time it evolved to denote the agricultural practice/system of growing a single crop extensively (monoculture) and the ecological/economic issues associated with that practice.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an agricultural system or practice in which a single crop species is grown repeatedly on the same land, often over a large area (synonymous with monoculture in this context).
Monocrop farming can increase vulnerability to pests and reduce soil fertility over time.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
a single crop grown over a wide area (the crop itself, as opposed to a mixed or rotated planting).
For decades the region was a monocrop of cotton.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Verb 1
to cultivate or manage land so that only one crop species is grown (to practice monocropping).
Many farmers monocrop corn instead of rotating different crops.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/24 00:10