mosaic

¹

[ moh-zey-ik ]

noun

1. a picture or decoration made of small, usually colored pieces of inlaid stone, glass, etc.
2. the process of producing such a picture or decoration.
3. something resembling such a picture or decoration in composition, especially in being made up of diverse elements:

   a mosaic of borrowed ideas.

4. Also called aerial mosaic, Surveying. an assembly of aerial photographs matched in such a way as to show a continuous photographic representation of an area mosaic map.
5. Architecture. (in an architectural plan) a system of patterns for differentiating the areas of a building or the like, sometimes consisting of purely arbitrary patterns used to separate areas according to function but often consisting of plans of flooring, reflected ceiling plans, overhead views of furnishings and equipment, or other items really included in the building or building plan.
6. Also called mosaic disease. Plant Pathology. any of several diseases of plants, characterized by mottled green or green and yellow areas on the leaves, caused by certain viruses.
7. Biology. an organism exhibiting mosaicism.
8. Television. a light-sensitive surface in a television camera tube, consisting of a thin mica sheet coated on one side with a large number of small globules of silver and cesium insulated from each other. The image to be televised is focused on this surface and the resulting charges on the globules are scanned by an electron beam.

adjective

1. pertaining to, resembling, or used for making a mosaic or mosaic work:

   a mosaic tile.

2. composed of a combination of diverse elements.

verb (used with object)

, mo·sa·icked, mo·sa·ick·ing.

1. to make a mosaic of or from.
2. to decorate with mosaic.

Mosaic

²

[ moh-zey-ik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Moses or the writings, laws, and principles attributed to him:

   Mosaic ethics.

mosaic

¹

/ məˈzeɪɪk; məˈzeɪɪsɪst /

noun

1. a design or decoration made up of small pieces of coloured glass, stone, etc
2. the process of making a mosaic
3. 1. a mottled yellowing that occurs in the leaves of plants affected with any of various virus diseases
   2. Also calledmosaic disease any of the diseases, such as tobacco mosaic , that produce this discoloration
4. genetics another name for chimera
5. an assembly of aerial photographs forming a composite picture of a large area on the ground
6. a light-sensitive surface on a television camera tube, consisting of a large number of granules of photoemissive material deposited on an insulating medium

Mosaic

²

/ məʊˈzeɪɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to Moses or the laws and traditions ascribed to him

mosaic

/ mō-zā′ĭk /

1. Any of various viral diseases of plants, resulting in light and dark areas in the leaves, which often become shriveled and dwarfed.

mosaic

1. A picture or design made from small pieces of colored tile, glass, or other material set in mortar. Mosaics have been widely used in Christian churches to decorate walls and ceilings.

Derived Forms

• mosaicist, noun

Other Words From

• mo·sai·cal·ly adverb
• premo·saic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mosaic¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French mosaïque, from Italian mosaico, from Medieval Latin musaicum, re-formation of Late Latin musīvum (opus), Latin musēum, musaeum “mosaic work,” of obscure origin; variants may show an assumed relationship with Greek mouseîon “shrine of the Muses, museum” by analogy with archī(v)um “archive” though classical Greek word is not attested in the sense “mosaic”; museum, archive

Origin of mosaic²

1655–65; < New Latin Mosaicus, equivalent to Late Latin Mōs ( ēs ) Moses + -aicus, on the model of Hebraicus Hebraic

Word History and Origins

Origin of mosaic¹

C16: via French and Italian from Medieval Latin mōsaicus, from Late Greek mouseion mosaic work, from Greek mouseios of the Muses, from mousa Muse

Example Sentences

The artworks were found in a banqueting hall with dramatic black walls and a mosaic floor made of more than 1 million white tiles.

From BBC

Jimmy Carter once said, “We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.”

From Los Angeles Times

“If I were to make a prediction, I would envisage a growing fraction of the Peninsula’s landscape becoming dominated by a mosaic ecosystem of mosses, lichens, liverworts and fungi,” Roland said.

From Salon

"Looking at the mosaic of all the pictures, you can see strata as you move from one landscape to another," Edwards says.

From BBC

It was a tableau of a distinctly modern American family: mixed race, interfaith and blended, a mosaic of national origins, cultures and values.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• patchwork