English Language & Usage Asked by DRoam on February 18, 2021
My company makes a product, a sort of table, that comes in two versions: a "split" version that breaks into two halves for more easy shipping/handling, and an "un-split" version that’s made of a single large piece. I’m trying to come up with a word to use for the un-split version (besides "un-split"), that carries implications of "made of a single piece as opposed to multiple pieces". So we would have the "Split Table" and the "[Un-split?] Table".
I’d like this word to be usable by us internally and also for customer-facing/marketing materials. So it should be simple and colloquial but sufficiently descriptive.
Some words that don’t quite fit the bill:
I’ve seen the word "monolithic" used in this context, and it’s probably the closest I’ve found in terms of meaning (made of a single piece), but it’s more of a mouthful than I’d like.
The next closest I’ve found is "integral", but even that is a little more formal than I’d like.
I’m hoping there’s a simple, colloquial word I’m not thinking of that would be a fitting substitute for "Un-split Table" or "Single-piece Table".
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
EDIT: Clarification after receiving few answers: I over-simplified things a bit so as not to go too far into the intricacies of our product. In fact, even the "un-split" version of the table is made up of multiple visually distinct pieces. It’s just that they all get "permanently" pre-assembled together by us. (This is also true for each half of the split version). Therefore, I’d like to find a word that has heavier connotations of "a single, self-complete structure" rather than "a single piece". Again, monolithic does this well but unfortunately is not colloquial enough.
I realize this clarification changes the nature of the question, and is also probably more niche and unlikely to have a good single-word answer. So if no new answers come in that satisfy that clarification, I’ll probably accept one of the current answers, as they do satisfy the original question quite well.
The table is undivided but the word has unnecessary overtones of divisions or compartments, which I do not think relevant to your specification. I find no term appropriate among the many synonyms of undivided or the antonyms of separated and divided; they relate too much to the concept of joining of parts.
Consequently I suggest extending the use of the easily understood term one-piece from its often limited application to clothing to your table.
one-piece = a piece of women's clothing that is worn when swimming or on a beach and consists of a single piece of material rather than a separate top and bottom
Interestingly, the same link in Cambridge dictionary gives a relevant example that extends the given definition in the way that you need:
"In contrast to all other devices presently being tested, this one-piece device may be easily retracted and repositioned until the time of eventual release"
Edited to account for the union of separate pieces:
It might unified or even unitary, both as defined in Cambridge dictionary
unitary example:
The details, the technological and formal solutions were drawn into a synthesis and their many elements into a unitary order.
Forming a single or uniform entity.
‘a sort of unitary wholeness’
Of these two "uni-options" I prefer unitary as describing the nature of it rather than what has been done to make it.
Answered by Anton on February 18, 2021
fully-assembled
I don't think there's any possibilty of misunderstanding that.
Answered by chasly - supports Monica on February 18, 2021
After thinking about it more and considering the answers that have been given, I think perhaps what I'm searching for is not so much a word that implies "single" or "monolithic", but rather a word that, by definition, negates "split". To put it another way, a word whose definition implies "could be split but is not". This would be the ideal word, but I'm not sure such a word exists.
We have words that imply "was split but is not", like "joined" or "pre-assembled", but seemingly not any words that imply "could be split but is not".
So I think the closest and only fitting word may be the one which does exactly that (negates "split" itself): ... "un-split". I was trying to avoid that but it seems like the best option.
In a comment on the original post, @Lambie mentioned the word "Standard", and this is so close to being a great fit. It implies "could be modified but is not", which is very close to what I'm looking for. And if split vs. unsplit was the only thing that could be customized for these tables, "Standard" and "Split" would be perfect. But unfortunately, there's a whole host of other options that could either be "standard" or "modified", so calling an un-split table "standard" wouldn't make sense.
So, here are the best alternative candidates so far to just "Split" and "Un-Split":
Hopefully one of those is useful to someone else in a similar situation. For our purposes, we'll probably just stick with "split" and "un-split" for the time being.
Answered by DRoam on February 18, 2021
Get help from others!
Recent Questions
Recent Answers
© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP