Zi:元

元 [yuán] original, primary; 元​素 chemical element; ​美元 U.S. dollar; ​日元 Japanese yen; 元​音 vowel; 元​代 (1279-1368); (HDZ:) …

2 monosyllabic entries in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

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The Shuōwén Seal form of 元 yuán ‘(head/top) beginning/primary/primitive’ puts a single horizontal stroke ​一 yī ‘one’ (prime/primal) atop ​兀 wù ‘towering/extraordinary’ (phonosemantic).
    Note: The top of 元 is not ​𠄞/​上 but rather, another ​一 is added atop ​兀; the old meaning of 元 is given as ​首 ‘head’ (​尔​雅; cf. ​頭), extended to ‘head/beginning/primary’; ​兀 is said to be synonymous with its compound 元 (HDZ).
    Compare: ​顽/​頑 wán ‘headstrong/obstinate/blockhead’; ​頑/​䪲/​髡(​髨) kūn ‘shave the head (bald)’ (​秃 ‘bald’).
    Compare: ​冠 guān ‘ceremonial/formal/official hat/cap’, in which 元 yuán ‘head’ (phonosemantic).
    Compare: ​寇(​𡨥) kòu ‘plunder’; ​完 wán ‘complete/intact; guard/keep’.
    Note: The top of 元 is not ​𠄞(​丄​上) shàng ‘up/top’, nor is it ​二 ‘two’; rather, a second ​一 ‘one’ is added on top of ​兀; but ​一 itself is sometimes used as an abbrev. of ​𠄞(​丄​上) ‘up/top’ (examples below); and so it might be said that the top of 元 has two copies of ​上 abbrev., for the very tip-top of the top.
    Compare: ​天 tiān; ​帝(​𢂇) dì; ​不(​𠀚) bù; ​示(​𥘅) shì; in all of these, ​一 is short for ​𠄞(​丄​上) shàng ‘up/top’.
    “[元] Probably etymologically the same word as ​原” —Karlgren(AD).
    Compare: ​原(​𠫐) yuán ‘river source’, now wr. ​源 (​水​源 ‘headwaters’); 元/​原/​源 were MC/OC homophones (SBGY/GSR), but are distinguished in OC (Baxter).
    Note: Meanings relating to money (‘dollar’ and ​円 ‘yen’) derive from ​圆 yuán ‘round’ (​银​圆/元 ‘silver dollar’).
    Compare: ​园/​園 yuán ‘garden’ (​花​园).
    HDZ: 元 : yuán : (​尔​雅) ​首: ​人​头 (cf. ​冠); ​长 (zhǎng), ​为​首​的 (元​首, ​状元, 元​凶); (SW: ​始) ​始, ​第​一 (元​年, 元​月, 元​日); (​哲​学) ​天​地​万​物​的​本​原 (​一元​论; 元​极: ​万​物​的​本​原, ​天); ​原: ​本, ​原​来; ​大; ​善; ​基​本​的 (元​素); (​古) (​单​位) ​历​法 (​三​统​历) ​计​算​单​位 (4617 ​岁​为​一元); (​数​学) (​一元​一​次​方​程​式, ​二元​一​次​方​程​式); ​货​币 (​银元, ​一元​二​角) (cf. ​圓, ​圜); (​清) (​避) ​玄 (元/​玄​色, 元/​玄​妙); ​頑 (wán); (​朝​代​名); (​姓)
►references: Guǎngyùn:113.01; Wieger:29h; Karlgren:AD1337,GSR257a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:1.264.6; Mathews:7707; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:123.06; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:005.0.10; Wáng(1993):2; EDOC:1
►components: ​一​兀​​二​儿
►Cantonese: yuhn\
►stroke 元 (... strokes)   
►list characters containing 元 as a component
►list words containing 元 (most common words first)
Unicode: U+5143
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