Meanings
- not comparablelifestyleHaving one and the same nature or essence, especially with regard to the persons of the Trinity.
The use of the word "monoousian," as above, may mislead; for the orthodox view of the trinity has unquestionably and necessarily a monoousian basis; there is, and can be, but one essence in the godhead.
April 1867, The American Presbyterian and Theological Review, volume 5, number 18, page 3392 more examples
But the homoousian Trinity of the orthodox went exactly in the middle, betwixt that monoousian trinity of Sabellius, which was a trinity of different notions or conceptions only of one and the self-same thing, and that other heteroousian trinity of Arius, which was a trinity of separate and heterogenous substances (one of which only was God, and the other creatures); […]
1678, Ralph Cudworth, The True Intellectual System of the Universe, volume IThe trinitarian idea of personality lies midway between that of a mere form of manifestation, or a personation, which would lead to Sabellianism, and the idea of an independent, limited human personality, which would result in tritheism. In other words, it avoids the monoousian or unitarian trinity of a threefold conception and aspect of one and the same being, and the triousian or tritheistic trinity of three distinct and separate beings.
1884, Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, volume III, T. & T. Clark, pages 676–677Synonyms: monoousious
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveHaving one and the same nature or essence, especially with regard to the persons of the Trinity.
Origin
- Ancient Greekμονοούσιος“of one substance”
- Englishmonoousian
From Ancient Greek μονοούσιος (monooúsios, “of one substance”), from μόνος (mónos, “alone, only, sole, single”) + οὐσία (ousía, “being, substance, essence”) + -ian.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Greek μονοούσιος
- μονοούσιος (monooúsios)having one and the same nature or essence
Polish jednoistotny
- jednoistotnyhaving one and the same nature or essence
Cite this entry
monoousian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monoousian
“monoousian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monoousian. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “monoousian,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monoousian.
Source: monoousian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.