> (The term “einstein” comes from the German “ein stein,” or “one stone” — more loosely, “one tile” or “one shape.”) As I said, that "loose" meaning doesn't ex

> (The term “einstein” comes from the German “ein stein,” or “one stone” — more loosely, “one tile” or “one shape.”) As I said, that "loose" meaning doesn't exist, but either way it would be "ein Stein". I guarantee that no one at the NYT bothered to ask a German speaker. However, I did check the German Wikipedia entry on tilings, which to my surprise does confirm that the word "einstein" is an established synonym for an aperiodic monotile. It also states that this usage isn't widespread in Germany itself. I presume that's because it doesn't actually make any sense in German.