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Glite Dictionary
🧩 One-piece structure 🧩 Single-piece built
unibody

unibody

5.8
Made as one piece with the body and frame joined together
  • adjective
  • /ˈjuːnɪˌbɑːdi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : monocasco
  • It is the result of a unibody design that increases structural rigidity and allows the phone to be thinner.

Examples

  • And as we've come to expect on top-end devices made by HTC, the back is entirely unibody, so that the 2,020mAh battery can't be swapped out.

    Blog text (14)

  • The laptop's unibody construction makes it both lightweight and strong.

  • With a unibody design, this is critical.

    Academic text (1993)

  • FireWire was restored to the 13" unibody form factor with the subsequent revision, which was dubbed a MacBook Pro, but too late for me.

    Blog text (25)

  • This smartphone features a sleek unibody design that enhances its durability.

  • Many modern tablets are built with a unibody casing, providing better protection against drops.

Synonyms

single piece
vsunibody
11 3.3

One object that is whole and not made from other parts

integrates body and frame into that single structure
monobloc
vsunibody
  • Specialized
7.3

Made from one solid piece of material rather than from many parts

focuses on combining body and frame not on material or how it is made
jointless
vsunibody
4.7

Made as one piece with no separate parts

highlights integration of body and frame rather than merely lacking seams

Antonyms

modular
  • Specialized
17 5.4

Has separate parts that fit together so you can change it

Compounds

unibody laptop
  • Specialized
4.4

A laptop made from one solid piece for strength and a smooth look

How Integrated

unibody
  • Specialized
5.8
monocoque
  • Specialized
1 9.8

Surface Forms

unibody positive

Morphology

unibody = body (transparent) = uni + body

The meaning 'single/one body' is directly derived from the productive combining form 'uni-' + 'body' and matches the technical sense.

Etymology

Unibody comes from the parts uni- meaning 'one' and body meaning 'main part', just like in unicycle where uni- means 'one'. So a unibody design is built as one single unit instead of from separate parts.