monitor

[ mon-i-ter ]

noun

1. (especially formerly) a student appointed to assist in the conduct of a class or school, as to help take attendance or keep order.
2. a person appointed to supervise students, applicants, etc., taking an examination, chiefly to prevent cheating; proctor.
3. a person who admonishes, especially with reference to conduct.
4. something that serves to remind or give warning.
5. a device or arrangement for observing, detecting, or recording the operation of a machine or system, especially an automatic control system.
6. an instrument for detecting dangerous gases, radiation, etc.
7. Radio and Television.
   1. a receiving apparatus used in a control room, especially to provide a steady check of the quality of an audio or video transmission.
   2. a similar apparatus placed in various parts of a studio so that an audience can watch a recorded portion of a show, the performer can see the various segments of a program, etc.
   3. any such receiving apparatus used in a closed-circuit system, as in an operating room.
8. Computers.
   1. the screen component of a computer, especially a free-standing screen.
   2. a control program. Compare operating system.
   3. a group of systems used to measure the performance of a computer system.
9. Nautical.
   1. a former U.S. steam-propelled, armored warship of very low freeboard, having one or more turrets and used for coastal defense.
   2. (initial capital letter, italics) the first of such warships, used against the Confederate ironclad warship Merrimac at Hampton Roads, Va., in 1862.
10. a raised construction straddling the ridge of a roof and having windows or louvers for lighting or ventilating a building, as a factory or warehouse.
11. an articulated mounting for a nozzle, usually mechanically operated, which permits a stream of water to be played in any desired direction, as in firefighting or hydraulic mining.
12. Also called giant. (in hydraulic mining) a nozzle for dislodging and breaking up placer deposits with a jet of water.
13. any of various large lizards of the family Varanidae, of Africa, southern Asia, the East Indies, and Australia, fabled to give warning of the presence of crocodiles: several species are endangered.

verb (used with object)

1. Radio and Television.
   1. to listen to (transmitted signals) on a receiving set in order to check the quality of the transmission.
   2. to view or listen to (television or radio transmissions) in order to check the quality of the video or audio.
   3. to listen to (a radio conversation or channel); keep tuned to.
2. to observe, record, or detect (an operation or condition) with instruments that have no effect upon the operation or condition.
3. to oversee, supervise, or regulate:

   to monitor the administering of a test.

4. to watch closely for purposes of control, surveillance, etc.; keep track of; check continually:

   to monitor one's eating habits.

verb (used without object)

1. to serve as a monitor, detector, supervisor, etc.

monitor

/ ˈmɒnɪtə; ˌmɒnɪˈtɔːrɪəl /

noun

1. a person or piece of equipment that warns, checks, controls, or keeps a continuous record of something
2. education
   1. a senior pupil with various supervisory duties
   2. a pupil assisting a teacher in classroom organization, etc
3. a television screen used to display certain kinds of information in a television studio, airport, etc
4. the unit in a desk computer that contains the screen
5. 1. a loudspeaker used in a recording studio control room to determine quality or balance
   2. a loudspeaker used on stage to enable musicians to hear themselves
6. a device for controlling the direction of a water jet in fire fighting
7. any large predatory lizard of the genus Varanus and family Varanidae, inhabiting warm regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia See also Komodo dragon
8. Also calledgiant mining a nozzle for directing a high-pressure jet of water at the material to be excavated
9. (formerly) a small heavily armoured shallow-draught warship used for coastal assault

verb

1. to act as a monitor of
2. to observe or record (the activity or performance) of (an engine or other device)
3. to check (the technical quality of) (a radio or television broadcast)

monitor

/ mŏn′ĭ-tər /

1. A device that accepts video signals from a computer and displays information on a screen. Monitors generally employ cathode-ray tubes or flat-panel displays to project the image.
2. See Note at pixel

Derived Forms

• ˈmonitorˌship, noun
• monitorial, adjective
• ˈmonitress, noun:feminine
• ˌmoniˈtorially, adverb

Other Words From

• moni·tor·ship noun
• self-moni·tor·ing adjective
• un·moni·tored adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of monitor¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin: “prompter, adviser,” equivalent to monit(us) “reminded” (past participle of monēre) + -or -or

Word History and Origins

Origin of monitor¹

C16: from Latin, from monēre to advise

Example Sentences

There’s person whose job it is to do that, there are playback monitors all over the set and everybody watches playback at the same time.

From TechCrunch

A dock or hub creates a centralized space for you to connect to your internet, sync up various monitors or displays and charge your devices.

From Popular-Science

Bold’s preventative approach to falls is a more active solution than necklace or bracelet monitors that send a signal to emergency services when they detect a fall.

From TechCrunch

Still, as vaccinations proceed, Fairfax has been forced to hire “classroom monitors” to make up the gap — people who will “cover in-person classrooms for instructors who are teaching from home,” according to a school system news release.

From Washington Post

Participants get pills, either fluvoxamine or placebo, shipped to their homes, along with a thermometer, pulse oximeter and blood-pressure monitor.

From Science News

Professor Penelope Leach told The Daily Beast it was ludicrous to monitor young children in that way.

From The Daily Beast

Parliament looks at measures to monitor toddlers for anti-Semitic speech.

From The Daily Beast

Extra security was also set up along the lines to monitor other signs of potential sabotage.

From The Daily Beast

An innovative gift is the Qardioarm, a blood pressure monitor that records readings and uploads them to the cloud.

From The Daily Beast

Because of this, many state health departments monitor nursing homes very closely.

From The Daily Beast

Dis whole job is a pipe, wit' us havin' a Monitor gun to open dat armored truck.

From Project Gutenberg

The barrel of the Monitor swung and the hot steel barrel burned Delancy's arm.

From Project Gutenberg

And then the Monitor's deafening hammer sounded again, and after that, silence.

From Project Gutenberg

Murphy was kill-crazy, and tonight the Monitor rifle in his hands had made him feel like a god.

From Project Gutenberg

As the word fers originally meant counsellor or monitor of the king, it could be applied to any of the pieces.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• audit
• check
• control
• follow
• keep an eye on
• observe
• oversee
• scan
• supervise
• survey
• track