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My company makes a product, a sort of table, that comes in two versions: a "split" version that breaks into two halves for more easy shipping/handling, and an "un-split" version that's made of a single large piece. I'm trying to come up with a word to use for the un-split version (besides "un-split"), that carries implications of "made of a single piece as opposed to multiple pieces". So we would have the "Split Table" and the "[Un-split?] Table".

I'd like this word to be usable by us internally and also for customer-facing/marketing materials. So it should be simple and colloquial but sufficiently descriptive.

Some words that don't quite fit the bill:

  • Single (this is too ambiguous)
  • Whole, Full, etc. (because even the split version is "whole" and "full" after you put the halves together)

I've seen the word "monolithic" used in this context, and it's probably the closest I've found in terms of meaning (made of a single piece), but it's more of a mouthful than I'd like.

The next closest I've found is "integral", but even that is a little more formal than I'd like.

I'm hoping there's a simple, colloquial word I'm not thinking of that would be a fitting substitute for "Un-split Table" or "Single-piece Table".

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

EDIT: Clarification after receiving few answers: I over-simplified things a bit so as not to go too far into the intricacies of our product. In fact, even the "un-split" version of the table is made up of multiple visually distinct pieces. It's just that they all get "permanently" pre-assembled together by us. (This is also true for each half of the split version). Therefore, I'd like to find a word that has heavier connotations of "a single, self-complete structure" rather than "a single piece". Again, monolithic does this well but unfortunately is not colloquial enough.

I realize this clarification changes the nature of the question, and is also probably more niche and unlikely to have a good single-word answer. So if no new answers come in that satisfy that clarification, I'll probably accept one of the current answers, as they do satisfy the original question quite well.

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  • The semantic trickiness here is that so many terms for something that is whole use un- or in- and a word meaning divided in order to convey what you mean. Unsplit, indivisible, uncleft, unsundered, uncut. Your other options are in the realm of monolithic, like integrated. So it's a good question, but I can't think of a better answer. Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 14:25
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    If you call them one-piece and self-assembly then customers won't need to reach for a dictionary. Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 14:26
  • ... and then when taking an order over the phone, you won't have to disambiguate: "Did you ask for one split table, or unsplit table sir?" Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 15:05
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    Thanks @WeatherVane. See my comment on Anton's answer below regarding "one-piece".
    – Sigenes
    Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 15:50
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    I make my point again: we don't say unsplit or anything at all like that. You could try: single and double table: hawthornetables.com/worktables or standard and double table that can be divided for shipment.
    – Lambie
    Commented Oct 29, 2020 at 14:19

3 Answers 3

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The table is undivided but the word has unnecessary overtones of divisions or compartments, which I do not think relevant to your specification. I find no term appropriate among the many synonyms of undivided or the antonyms of separated and divided; they relate too much to the concept of joining of parts.

Consequently I suggest extending the use of the easily understood term one-piece from its often limited application to clothing to your table.

one-piece = a piece of women's clothing that is worn when swimming or on a beach and consists of a single piece of material rather than a separate top and bottom

Interestingly, the same link in Cambridge dictionary gives a relevant example that extends the given definition in the way that you need:

"In contrast to all other devices presently being tested, this one-piece device may be easily retracted and repositioned until the time of eventual release"

Cambridge dictionary

Edited to account for the union of separate pieces:

It might unified or even unitary, both as defined in Cambridge dictionary

unitary example:

The details, the technological and formal solutions were drawn into a synthesis and their many elements into a unitary order.

Cambridge dictionary

Forming a single or uniform entity.

‘a sort of unitary wholeness’

Oxford lexico

Of these two "uni-options" I prefer unitary as describing the nature of it rather than what has been done to make it.

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  • This is a great answer in the context of the question as I posed it. Unfortunately, I simplified things a bit so as not to go too far into the intricacies of our product. In fact, even the "un-split" version of the table is made up of multiple visually distinct pieces. It's just that they all get "permanently" pre-assembled together by us. (This is also true for each half of the split version). So unfortunately, saying "one-piece" of the un-split version sounds a little odd. Otherwise this would probably be a great word to use.
    – Sigenes
    Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 15:45
  • I'll wait to see if any suggestions come in that are more fitting given that clarification. If not, I'll probably accept this as the answer, as it's quite fitting given how I posed the question. Apologies for not being more precise.
    – Sigenes
    Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 15:46
  • @DRoam I think you have used the correct word: "pre-assembled" for the version the customer receives that is (almost) complete. The other version that the customer assembles themselves is usually known as "flat-pack" (because the point of shipping in pieces is to use a smaller (flat) package. See myjobquote.co.uk/assets/img/…
    – Greybeard
    Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 16:31
  • @Greybeard please see my comment on chasly's answer regarding why "pre-assembled" is not a good fit for the un-split version. As for the split version, simply "split" is more appropriate for us as this is not a standard furniture table or IKEA-like thing; it's a large industrial table used for production processes. But thanks for the input.
    – Sigenes
    Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 20:27
  • @Anton I think "unified" and "unitary" may be a bit too formal/non-colloquial. Unified wouldn't be too bad, but I'm not sure it's the right fit. But thanks for the additional suggestions.
    – Sigenes
    Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 20:35
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After thinking about it more and considering the answers that have been given, I think perhaps what I'm searching for is not so much a word that implies "single" or "monolithic", but rather a word that, by definition, negates "split". To put it another way, a word whose definition implies "could be split but is not". This would be the ideal word, but I'm not sure such a word exists.

We have words that imply "was split but is not", like "joined" or "pre-assembled", but seemingly not any words that imply "could be split but is not".

So I think the closest and only fitting word may be the one which does exactly that (negates "split" itself): ... "un-split". I was trying to avoid that but it seems like the best option.

In a comment on the original post, @Lambie mentioned the word "Standard", and this is so close to being a great fit. It implies "could be modified but is not", which is very close to what I'm looking for. And if split vs. unsplit was the only thing that could be customized for these tables, "Standard" and "Split" would be perfect. But unfortunately, there's a whole host of other options that could either be "standard" or "modified", so calling an un-split table "standard" wouldn't make sense.

So, here are the best alternative candidates so far to just "Split" and "Un-Split":

  • "Split" and "One-piece"
  • "Split" and "Standard"

Hopefully one of those is useful to someone else in a similar situation. For our purposes, we'll probably just stick with "split" and "un-split" for the time being.

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    You could confuse everyone by calling it "atomic".
    – user888379
    Commented Oct 29, 2020 at 19:10
  • "The Atomic Table". That's brilliant. You win, 888379. If only your username-choosing powers were as great as your table-naming powers...
    – Sigenes
    Commented Oct 29, 2020 at 19:12
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fully-assembled

I don't think there's any possibilty of misunderstanding that.

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  • That would make sense if the "un-split" table were a pre-assembled "split" table, but it's not. It's just a single, "monolithic" structure that can't be taken apart. So calling the split version "split" and the un-split version "fully-assembled" would lead to the misconception that the un-split table is a pre-assembled version of the split table. The term instead needs to indicate that the un-split table is not split at all, but is instead a single "monolithic", self-complete structure. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.
    – Sigenes
    Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 20:20
  • What is the table made of? If it is wood then it needs assembly unless it is carved from a single block. If it is moulded (say from plastic) then my answer would be different. Incidentally some pictures would be helpful. Commented Oct 28, 2020 at 21:41

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