# monitor

Pronunciation: US say "MON-i-tur" /ˈmɔn.ɪ.tɚ/; say "MON-i-tuh" UK /ˈmɒn.ɪ.tə/, AUS /ˈmɔn.ɪ.tə/

## Noun

1. A screen-based device, similar to a television, that displays the visual output of a computer.
   - Simple: A screen that shows pictures, words, and other output from a computer.
   - _He connected a second monitor to extend his desktop workspace._
   - _The graphic designer calibrated her monitor to display accurate colors._
3. A person who watches over something, or who is placed in charge of someone or something.
   - Simple: A person who watches over something or is in charge of it.
   - _Each dormitory has a monitor responsible for keeping order at night._
   - _The election monitors reported no signs of fraud at the polling stations._
4. A device that detects something and reports its presence, amount, or level.
   - Simple: A machine that checks for something and shows whether it is present or how much there is.
   - _Doctors attached a glucose monitor to track her blood sugar._
   - _The air-quality monitor recorded a sharp rise in pollution downtown._
5. A loudspeaker used in studios or on stage so performers can hear their own sound accurately.
   - Simple: A speaker that lets musicians hear themselves clearly while they perform or record.
   - _The sound engineer adjusted each monitor before the show began._
   - _Studio monitors reveal flaws that ordinary speakers smooth over._
6. A large lizard of the genus Varanus, with a long neck, forked tongue, and powerful tail.
   - Simple: A large lizard with a long neck and tail, found in warm parts of the world.
   - _The zookeeper fed the monitor a mix of eggs and raw meat._
   - _Monitors use their forked tongues to track prey by scent._
7. A small armored warship with only one or two gun turrets, built for shore bombardment or river warfare rather than open-sea battle.
   - Simple: A small warship with heavy guns, built to attack targets on land or along rivers.
   - _The navy sent a monitor upriver to shell the enemy fortifications._
   - _Each monitor carried far heavier guns than its small size suggested._
8. A program used for viewing and editing data or files.
   - Simple: A computer program used to look at and change files or data directly.
   - _Programmers loaded a monitor to inspect and patch the running code._
   - _The disk monitor displayed each sector so it could be edited directly._
9. A nozzle that directs a high-pressure jet of water, used in firefighting, mining, or industrial cleaning.
   - Simple: A large nozzle that shoots a powerful jet of water, used to fight fires or wash away material.
   - _Crews swung the deck monitor toward the base of the flames._
   - _A high-pressure monitor washed the loose gravel down the slope._
10. A low, turret-shaped tool holder for a lathe that revolves on a vertical pivot to bring several tools into position one after another.
   - Simple: A turret-shaped holder on a lathe that spins to bring different cutting tools into place.
   - _By rotating the monitor, the operator cycled through several cutting tools without stopping._
   - _The lathe's monitor held six tools on its pivoting head._

## Verb

2. To keep watch over someone or something, guarding it or tracking its condition over time.
   - Simple: To watch something or someone carefully to keep them safe or to check for changes.
   - _Security guards monitor the building's entrances around the clock._
   - _The agency monitors air quality across the region._

## Noun

11. The command-line interface of an operating system, where instructions are entered as typed text. *(dated)*
   - Simple: The text screen of a computer where you type commands to control the system.
   - _She entered each instruction at the monitor and waited for the system to respond._
   - _The old computer dropped you straight into the monitor at startup._
12. An ironclad warship: a vessel protected by plating of iron or steel. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old type of warship covered in iron armor.
   - _The fleet's monitor shrugged off cannon fire that would have sunk older vessels._
   - _Naval crews regarded the monitor as nearly unsinkable in its day._
13. A student given authority to keep order or take charge of tasks in a classroom. *(archaic, Hong Kong, Singapore)*
   - Simple: A student chosen to help keep order in a class.
   - _The teacher appointed a monitor to keep the room quiet during her absence._
   - _Each morning the monitor collected the attendance slips._
14. A person who admonishes others: warning of faults, recalling them to duty, or giving advice by way of reproof or caution. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A person who warns others of their faults or gives them advice and caution.

## Origin

From Latin monitor ("warner"), from the perfect passive participle monitus ("warning"), from the verb monere ("to warn, admonish, remind"). The warship sense comes from the USS Monitor, the first ship of this type.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/monitor (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).