monopoly

monopoly [mə näp′ə lē]

n.

pl. monopolies [L monopolium < Gr monopōlion, right of exclusive sale, monopōlia, exclusive sale < monos, single (see MONO-) + pōlein, to sell < IE base * pel- > Lith pel̃nas, wages]

1. exclusive control of a commodity or service in a given market, or control that makes possible the fixing of prices and the virtual elimination of free competition

2. an exclusive privilege of engaging in a particular business or providing a service, granted by a ruler or by the state

3. exclusive possession or control of something

4. something that is held or controlled as a monopoly

5. a company or combination that has a monopoly

☆ [M-] trademark for

a game played on a special board by two or more players: they move according to the throw of dice, engaging in mock real estate transactions with play money

SYN.- MONOPOLY applies to the exclusive control of a commodity, etc., as defined above; a TRUST is a combination of corporations, organized for the purpose of gaining a monopoly, in which stock is turned over to trustees who issue stock certificates to the stockholders: trusts are now illegal in the U.S.; CARTEL, the European term for a trust, now usually implies an international trust; a SYNDICATE is now usually a group of bankers, corporations, etc. organized to buy large blocks of securities, afterward selling them in small parcels to the public at a profit; a CORNER is a temporary speculative monopoly of some stock or commodity for the purpose of raising the price