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mosaic definition

mo·saic (mō zāik)

noun

  1. the process of making pictures or designs by inlaying small bits of colored stone, glass, tile, etc. in mortar
  2. inlaid work made by this process
  3. a picture or design so made
  4. anything resembling this, as a number of aerial photographs pieced together to show a continuous area
  5. Biol. chimera ()
  6. Bot. any of the viral diseases that cause wrinkling or mottling of leaves
  7. TV the photosensitive plate in an iconoscope or other television camera tube

Etymology: LME musycke < OFr musique < ML musaicum, altered < LL musivum, mosaic, orig. neut. of L musivus, artistic, of a muse < L musa, muse: sp. altered by assoc. with Fr mosaïque < It mosaico < same ML source

adjective

of or resembling mosaic or a mosaic

transitive verb mosaicked -·icked, mosaicking -·ick·ing

  1. to make by or as by mosaic
  2. to decorate with mosaics

Related Forms:

Mosaic definition

Mo·saic (mō zāik)

adjective

of Moses or the writings, principles, etc. attributed to him

Etymology: LL(Ec) Mosaicus < Gr(Ec) Mōsaikos

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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