sules five, one-seeded. There is but one species, viz. M. trifolia.This is an annual American plant, with a dichotomous stem, ter-nate leaves, and white dowers in a bifid spike.
MONOC EROS, Unicorn , in astronomy, a southern constella-tion formed by Hevelius , containing in his catalogue nineteenstars, and in the Britannic Catalogue thirty-one. S'ee Astro-nomy.
Monoceros , in zoology. See Monodon.
MONOCHORD , [|w.ov£v, and x°?N.] 1. An instrument of
One string : as, the trumpet-marine. 2. A kind of instrument an-ciently ot singular use for the regulating of sounds: the ancientsmade use ot it to determine the proportion of sounds to one ano-ther. When the chord was divided into two equal parts, so thatthe terms were as one to one, they called them unisons; but if astwo to one, they called them octaves or diapasons; when they■were as three to two, they called them fifths or diapentes; if theywere as four to three, they called them fourths or diatesserons; ifas five to tour, they called it diton, or a tierce major; hut if as sixto five, then they called it a demi-diton, or a tierce minor; andlastly, it the ttrms wt’re as twenty-four to twenty-five, they calledh a demiton, ordieze; the ntonochord being thus divider), wasproperty that which they called a system, of which there weremany kinds, according to the different divisions of the mono-chord.
Monochord is used, as well in the natural as iu temperedscales. Originally it had, as its name implies, only one siring;but it is better constructed with two, as we have, by means of thisadditional string, an opportunity of judging of the harmony of twotempered notes in every possible variety of temperament. Itconsists of a brass-rule placed upon a sound board, and accurately^divided into different scales according to the purposes for which itIs chiefly intended. Above this rule the strings are to be stretch-ed over two fixed bridges, between which there is a moveable fret,so contrived as to divide at pleasure one of the strings into thesame proportional parts as are engraved upon the scales beneath.The figure of the instrument, the manner of striking the strings soas to produce the sound, as likewise the construction of the move-able bridge, may be varied at pleasure according to the wish andingenuity of the artist: but with the assistance of such an instru-ment accurately constructed, any person with a good ear may beenabltd to tune a keyed instrument with sufficient precision toanswer every practical purpose. The curious reader, who maywish for further information respecting the construction and use ofmonochords, will be highly gratified in perusing the appendix ofMr. Atwood’s Treatise on Rectilinear Motion, and Mr. Jones’singenious and entertaining observations on the scale of music,monochord, &c. in his Physiological Disquisitions.
MONOCULUS, in zoology, a genus of insects of the orderaptera. Body short, roundish, covered with a firm crustaceousskin; fore-legs ramose, formed for leaping and swimming; onlyone eye, large, and composed of three smaller ones. Of this ge-nus, many of which have been reckoned among the microscopicanimals, authors enumerate fifty species. The name inonoculushas been given to this genus, as consisting of individuals whichapparently have but one eye: and from the manner in which thevproceed forward in the water by leaping, they have also been call-ed water-fleas. The branching antenna: serve them instead of oars,the legs being seldom used for swimming.
M. Quadricornis, the Four-horned Monoculus, a verysmall species about half a line in length, and of an ashen-grey co-lour. From the head arise four antenna:, two forwards and twobackwards; all furnished with a few hairs, which give them thefigure of a branch. Between the antenna-, on the fore-part of thehead, is situated a single eye. From the head to the tail the body-goes down, decreasing in shape like a pear; and is composed ofseven or eight rings, which grow continually more straitened.Monoculus pulex is represented magnified in Plate LXXVI.
MONO DON, in ichthyology, a genus of fishes of the ordercete. It has two very long, straight, and spirally-twisted teeth,which stick out from ike upper jaw; and the spiracle, or breath-ing hole, is situated on the anterior part of the skull. There isbut one *pecies:
M. Monoceros, the Horned Narwhai., sometimes grows, to 25 feet in length, exclusive of the horn ; or, as some authors say,tg 4b or even GO foot long, and 12 broad ; but the usual size "is
from 16 to 20. It is particularly noted for its horn or horns, a Jthey are called; but which are real teeth. Of these there arealways two in young animals; though the old ones have generallybut one, sometimes none. From the circumstance of only one .tooth being usually found, the animal has acquired the name olUnicorn-Fish, or Sea-Unicorn . See Plate LV. They inhabitthe northern seas, from Norway lo within the arctic circle: theyare plentiful in Davis’s straits, and the north of Greenland ; wherethe natives, for want of wood, make rafters of the teeth. Frontthe tooth or horn maybe distilled a very strong sal volatile: thescrapings are esteemed alexipharmic, and were used of old ill m a 'lignant fevers, and against the bites of serpents.
MONODY, [ftom fsovaf, alone, and a$w, 1 sing,] was, in a 11 'cient poetry, a mournful kind of song, sung by a person all alone*lo give vent to his grief.
MONO',CIA, [from p »»©-, alone, and msec, a house,] th e21st class in Linnaeus's sexual method. See Botany .
MONCEMUGI. See Monkmugi.
MONOGAMY, [from pan;, alone, and ynpt>, marriage,] th* 5state of those who have only married once, or are restrained to asingle wife. See Polygamy.
MONOGLOSSUM, in ancient geography, a town of India *on the Sinus Canlhi, into which the Indus runs; now called .Matt'galore.
MONOGRAM , [p-ov®^ alone, and ypup-pa, a letter,] a c)"pher ; a character composed of several letters interwoven; beinga kind of abbreviation of a name, used for seals, badges, arms, & c ’
.MONOGYNIA, [from fzov®-, alone, and yvn, a woman,] llj®first order in the lirst thirteen classes of Linnauis’s sexual method,consisting of plants which, besides their agreement in their classi ccharacter, generally derived from the number of their stamina*have only one style, or female organ. See Botany .
MONOLOGUE, [fzov®-, and xcy©-,] a scene in which a p cr 'son in the drama speaks by himself; a soliloquy.
MONOME, iu algebra, a quantity that has hut one denoiiiin* 1 'tion or name; as, ah, aab, &c.
MONOMIAL, in algt-bra, consisting of one term or member*a monomial quantity is sometimes called a nionome. See U 1 'NOMtAL.
MONOMOTAPA, a country of Africa , which has'the king'dom of Sofala on the E. the river Spiritu Santo on the S. th emountains of Calfraria on the W. and the river Cautna on the N'which parts it from Monemttgi. The air is very temperate ; o’,land fertile in pastures and all the necessaries of lUe, being water*-’!by several rivers. The inhabitants are rich in black cattle, wliM 1they value more than gold. They have a vast number of el e 'phants, as appears from the great quantity of ivory that is exports 1from hence. There are many gold-mines, and the rivers thatr 11 ! 1through their veins carry a great deal of gold-dust along ' vlt jthem. The inhabitants are lovers of war. T his country is dtvidp 1into seven provinces or potty kingdoms, under the king; y 1 ®'Monomotapa Proper, Quitcvc, Manica, lnhambana, lnheiH* 01 ’Sabia, and Sofala .
MONOPE'l’ALOUS, [pan;, and ni’rnxov, a petal,] in botanX'a term applied to flowers that have only one petal, or flower-led'See Botany .
MONOPHYLLOUS, [pm;, anti <pexxoy, a leaf,] in botany* *plant which has but one blade. See Botany .
MONOP11YSITES, [pan;, alone, and fun;, nature,] a gee 6 '
1 name given to all those sectaries in the Levant who only °" l i: nature in Jesus Christ ; and who maintain, that the divine a,1 |human nature of Christ were so united as lo form only on« nat 0 * 1 ’yet without any change, confusion, or mixture, of the two n®turns. The monopbysites, however, properly so called, are u’._followers of Severus, a monk of Palestine, who was created P ;lirl ,arch of Antioch, in 513, and Petrus Kullensis. They were eneo"|raged by the emperor Anastasias, hut depressed by Justin a 1 ’^succeeding emperors. However, this seel was restored by ^ dC °.,Baradxus an obscure monk, insomuch that when he died Bid 1 ?*of Edessa, A. D. 588, he left it in a most flourishing stale in SyP’Mesopotamia, Armenia, Egypt, Nubia , Abyssinia, anil d |countries. The laborious efforts of Jacob were seconded in EgJ’P'and the adjacent countries, by Theodosius, Bishop of Alexandf*' *and he became so famous that all the monuphysites of the east col ,7 side 1 ^
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one