Mono- comes from the Greek mónos, meaning “alone.”

Below are 24 of the most common Latin phrases we use in the English language.

1. Ad hoc: To this.
2. Alibi: Elsewhere.
3. Bona fide: With good faith.
4. Bonus: Good.
5. Carpe diem: Seize the day.
6. De Facto: In fact.
7. E.g.: For example.
8. Ego: I.

WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2021. -sci-, root. -sci- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning “to know. ” This meaning is found in such words as: conscience, conscious, omniscience, omniscient, prescience, prescient, science, scientific.

-greg- , root. -greg- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning “group; flock. ” This meaning is found in such words as: aggregate, congregate, desegregate, gregarious, segregate.

The word university is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, which roughly means “community of teachers and scholars”.

mono- A prefix that means “one, only, single,” as in monochromatic, having only one color. It is often found in chemical names where it means “containing just one” of the specified atom or group, as in carbon monoxide, which is carbon attached to a single oxygen atom.

Technically, yes, mono can be considered a sexually transmitted infection (STI). But that’s not to say that all cases of mono are STIs. Mono, or infectious mononucleosis as you might hear your doctor call it, is a contagious disease caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). EBV is a member of the herpesvirus family.

If you get mono, the virus stays in your body for life. That doesn’t mean that you’re always contagious . But the virus can surface from time to time and risk infecting someone else.

While the most common way for the virus to spread is, indeed, through saliva, you don’t have to kiss someone with an active strain of it in order to contract it. It can also be transmitted by activities like sharing drinks and using another person’s utensils, or through blood and other bodily fluids.

Once your symptoms do appear, they may last for two to four weeks. You can pass the virus to other people through your saliva for up to three months after your symptoms subside. Some studies have reported that you may still be contagious for up to 18 months.

Mono symptoms usually go away within 2 to 4 weeks. In some teens, though, the tiredness and weakness can last for months. When you start feeling better, take it slow and don’t overdo it. Although you can return to school after your fever is gone, you may still feel tired.

Myth #2. Mono is nicknamed “the kissing disease” because it is spread through saliva. But kissing is only one way to spread saliva; it can also easily be spread by sharing utensils and glasses. Mono is also spread through nasal fluids, blood and semen.