ETYM as. munuc, munec, munc, Latin monachus, Greek, from monos alone. Related to Monachism.
A male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work; SYN. monastic.
Man belonging to a religious order under the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and living under a particular rule; see monasticism.

(Sphere) (1917-1982) US jazz pianist and composer. He took part in the development of bebop. He had a highly idiosyncratic style, but numbers such as ‘Round Midnight’ and ‘Blue Monk’ have become standards. Monk worked in Harlem, New York, during the Depression, and became popular in the 1950s.