monitor

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Someone who watches over something; a person in charge of something or someone.

   The camp monitors look after the children during the night, when the teachers are asleep.

2. 2
   noun

   A device similar to a television set used as to give a graphical display of the output from a computer.

   The information flashed up on the monitor.

3. 3
   noun

   A program for viewing and editing.

   a machine code monitor

4. 4
   noun

   A student leader in a class.

   So, as she did not like the masters to be prying about the play-ground out of school, she chose from among the biggest and most trustworthy of her pupils five monitors, who had authority over the rest of the Boys, and kept the unruly ones in order.

5. 5
   noun

   One who admonishes; one who warns of faults, informs of duty, or gives advice and instruction by way of reproof or caution.

   c. 1620, Francis Bacon, letter of advice to Sir George Villiers You need not be a monitor to your gracious master the king.

6. 6
   verb

   To watch over; to guard.

   Monitoring refers to keeping a watch over patients to ensure that they are practising what they have learnt about disability prevention correctly.

7. 7
   noun

   any of various large tropical carnivorous lizards of Africa and Asia and Australia

8. 8
   noun

   a piece of electronic equipment that keeps track of the operation of a system continuously and warns of trouble

Etymology

From Latin monitor (“warner”), from perfect passive participle monitus (“warning”), from verb monere (“to warn, admonish, remind”). Warship sense is from USS Monitor, the first ship of this type.