monism

the term monism is a modern philosophical construct, coined in the 18th century from greek components to describe a specific metaphysical position. its first part, 'mon-', derives from the greek 'monos', meaning single or alone, a concept traceable to proto-indo-european roots connoting isolation or unity. the suffix '-ism' is used to form nouns indicating a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy. thus, the literal construction "single-doctrine" directly conveys the core idea of the philosophy: that all the complexity of the universe originates from or is reducible to one fundamental substance, principle, or reality, in opposition to dualism or pluralism.

Structure: mon (single) + ism (doctrine) mon originates from greek 'monos', meaning single, alone. ism originates from greek '-ismos', a suffix forming nouns of action or of state, and later used to denote systems of belief or doctrine.