From Greek 'monos' (alone) + 'polein' (to sell) — literally 'selling alone,' one seller controlling an entire market.
The exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service; a company or group having such control.
From Late Latin 'monopolium,' from Greek 'monopōlion' (exclusive right of sale), composed of 'monos' (single, alone) and 'polein' (to sell). The element 'monos' traces to PIE *oino- (one), while 'polein' connects to PIE *pelh₁- (to sell, to exchange). Greek 'polein' appears in English compounds like 'bibliopolist' (book-seller). The concept codified in this word was a recognised feature
Aristotle tells the story of the philosopher Thales of Miletus, who foresaw a large olive harvest and rented all the olive presses in advance. When harvest came, he had a monopoly on pressing and charged whatever he liked — proving that philosophers could get rich if they wanted to but simply did not care about money. This is the first recorded monopoly scheme in Western history, circa 600 BCE.