monolith

[mon-uh-lith] /ˈmɒn ə lɪθ/
noun
1.
an obelisk, column, large statue, etc., formed of a single block of stone.
2.
a single block or piece of stone of considerable size, especially when used in architecture or sculpture.
3.
something having a uniform, massive, redoubtable, or inflexible quality or character.
Origin
1820-30; < Latin monolithus < Greek monólithos made of one stone. See mono-, -lith
Related forms
monolithism, noun
Examples from the web for monolith
  • Beginning as a thin veneer for older software code, it has become an obese monolith built on an ancient frame.
  • It is probably the result of a collision that shattered a pre-existing monolith.
  • However, the state is far from being a predictable monolith.
  • The walls, caves, and alcoves of this sandstone monolith are adorned with their elaborate pictographs.
  • What once appeared an extreme anti-Western monolith splintered into different factions.
British Dictionary definitions for monolith

monolith

/ˈmɒnəlɪθ/
noun
1.
a large block of stone or anything that resembles one in appearance, intractability, etc
2.
a statue, obelisk, column, etc, cut from one block of stone
3.
a large hollow foundation piece sunk as a caisson and having a number of compartments that are filled with concrete when it has reached its correct position
Word Origin
C19: via French from Greek monolithos made from a single stone
Word Origin and History for monolith
n.

"column consisting of a single large block of stone," 1848, from French monolithe (16c.), from Latin monolithus (adj.) "consisting of a single stone," from Greek monolithos "made of one stone," from monos "single, alone" (see mono-) + lithos "stone." Transferred and figurative use is from 1934.