mosaic

[moh-zey-ik]

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noun

a picture or decoration made of small, usually colored pieces of inlaid stone, glass, etc.

the process of producing such a picture or decoration.

something resembling such a picture or decoration in composition, especially in being made up of diverse elements: a mosaic of borrowed ideas.

Also called aerial mosaic, photomosaic. Surveying. an assembly of aerial photographs matched in such a way as to show a continuous photographic representation of an area (mosaic map).

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.

Also called mosaic 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.

Biology. an organism exhibiting mosaicism.

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

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

composed of a combination of diverse elements.

verb (used with object), mo·sa·icked, mo·sa·ick·ing.

to make a mosaic of or from.

to decorate with mosaic.

Origin of mosaic

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

Related formsmo·sa·i·cal·ly, adverbpre·mo·sa·ic, adjective

Mosaic

[moh-zey-ik]

adjective

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

Sometimes Mo·sa·i·cal.

Origin of Mosaic

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

Related formspost-Mo·sa·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mosaic

patchwork, plaid, variegation, motley, tessellation, montage, checker

Examples from the Web for mosaic

Contemporary Examples of mosaic

The Lennon Wall in Admiralty is a mosaic of Post-It notes, each square a scribbled wish.
The Monuments Men of Occupy Hong Kong
Brendon Hong
December 4, 2014
The mosaic too looks to her eyes more like a work of the 1st than the 4th century B.C.
Amphipolis Tomb Yields Amazing Finds But Mysteries Linger
James Romm
October 17, 2014
The result is a mosaic of spectra, covering up to 60 different regions.
SAMI Is Like Google Earth for the Universe
Matthew R. Francis
July 27, 2014
This is what has created the mosaic of plots that we know today, and that was pretty much already in place a thousand years ago.
The Next UNESCO World Heritage Site: Burgundy’s Pinot Noir Country?
Jordan Salcito
May 31, 2014
I compare it to laying a mosaic on my hands and knees, putting in each color very slowly.
Armistead Maupin Bids Farewell to 'Tales'
Tim Teeman
February 2, 2014

Historical Examples of mosaic

The mosaic border to the frame is quite unique in its design.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 7, May 14, 1870
Various
Even the floors of some of his rooms are made in mosaic pictures.
Buried Cities: Pompeii, Olympia, Mycenae
Jennie Hall
The Derbyshire marbles are quarried all about, and mosaic manufacture is carried on.
England, Picturesque and Descriptive
Joel Cook
In some of these churches the decorations are chiefly in mosaic, and are extremely striking.
Architecture
Thomas Roger Smith
Compositions so produced are to poetry what mosaic is to painting.
The Best of the World's Classics, Vol. V (of X) - Great Britain and Ireland III
Various

British Dictionary definitions for mosaic

mosaic

noun

a design or decoration made up of small pieces of coloured glass, stone, etc

the process of making a mosaic

a mottled yellowing that occurs in the leaves of plants affected with any of various virus diseases
Also called: mosaic diseaseany of the diseases, such as tobacco mosaic, that produce this discoloration

genetics another name for chimera (def. 4)

an assembly of aerial photographs forming a composite picture of a large area on the ground

a light-sensitive surface on a television camera tube, consisting of a large number of granules of photoemissive material deposited on an insulating medium

Derived Formsmosaicist (məˈzeɪɪsɪst), noun

Word Origin for mosaic

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

Mosaic

Mosaical

adjective

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for mosaic

c.1400, from Old French mosaicq "mosaic work," from Italian mosaico, from Medieval Latin musaicum "mosaic work, work of the Muses," noun use of neuter of musaicus "of the Muses," from Latin Musa (see muse). Medieval mosaics were often dedicated to the Muses. The word formed in Medieval Latin as though from Greek, but the (late) Greek word for "mosaic work" was mouseion (Klein says this sense was borrowed from Latin). Figurative use is from 1640s. As an adjective in English from 1580s. Related: Mosaicist.

Mosaic

adj.

"pertaining to Moses," 1660s (earlier Mosaical, 1560s), from Modern Latin Mosaicus, from Moses.

mosaic in Medicine

mosaic

[mō-zā′ĭk]

adj.

Patterned in small squares; tesselated.

n.

An organism exhibiting mosaicism.

mosaic in Science

mosaic

[mō-zā′ĭk]

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

mosaic in Culture

mosaic

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.