means A monopoly is when a single company or person has total control over a market or commodity, with no competitors to keep them honest.

from From Greek 'monos' (single, alone) plus 'polein' (to sell) — literally 'selling alone.' It came into English in the 16th century by way of Latin 'monopolium,' first used to describe royal grants giving one merchant exclusive rights to sell something. The famous board game borrowed the word much later; it began as 'The Landlord's Game,' designed to demonstrate the evils of land-grabbing — an irony baked right into the box.