monolith
n. countablen. a single, large block of stone or metal. In computing, it refers to a single, very large program that is hard to change or update.
n. a single, large block of stone or metal; by extension, a single, integrated system or program that is difficult to modify or scale. Often used in software engineering to describe a single-tiered application architecture.
The ancient temple was built from a single monolith of granite.
The company's legacy system is a massive monolith that requires a complete rewrite to support modern features.
While the monolith provided a stable foundation for the early city, its sheer size made it impossible to transport or carve further once the initial structure was complete.
The noun is borrowed from French monolithe (“object made from a single block of stone”), from Middle French monolythe (“made from a single block of stone”) (rare), and from their etymon Latin monolithus (“made from a single block of stone”), from Ancient Greek μονόλιθος (monólithos, “made from a single block of stone”), from μονο- (mono-, prefix meaning ‘alone; single’) (from μόνος (mónos, “alone; only, unique”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“little, small”)) + λίθος (líthos, “a stone; stone as a substance”); analysable as mono- + -lith. The English word is cognate with German monolith (“made from a single block of stone”). The verb is derived from the noun.