A mosaic is a design which consists of small pieces of coloured glass, pottery, or stone set in concrete or plaster.
...a Roman villa which once housed a fine collection of mosaics.
He has used a mixture of mosaic, collage and felt-tip pen.
mosaic in British English
(məˈzeɪɪk)
noun
1.
a design or decoration made up of small pieces of coloured glass, stone, etc
2.
the process of making a mosaic
3.
a.
a mottled yellowing that occurs in the leaves of plants affected with any of various virus diseases
b. Also called: mosaic disease
any of the diseases, such as tobacco mosaic, that produce this discoloration
4. genetics another name for chimera (sense 4)
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
Derived forms
mosaicist (məˈzeɪɪsɪst)
noun
Word origin
C16: via French and Italian from Medieval Latin mōsaicus, from Late Greek mouseion mosaic work, from Greek mouseios of the Muses, from mousaMuse
Mosaic in British English
(məʊˈzeɪɪk) or Mosaical
adjective
of or relating to Moses or the laws and traditions ascribed to him
Mosaic in American English
(moʊˈzeɪɪk)
adjective
of Moses or the writings, principles, etc. attributed to him
Word origin
LL(Ec) Mosaicus < Gr(Ec) Mōsaikos
mosaic in American English
(moʊˈzeɪɪk)
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. Biology
chimera (sense 4)
6. Botany
any of the viral diseases that cause wrinkling or mottling of leaves
7. Television
the photosensitive plate in an iconoscope or other television camera tube
adjective
8.
of or resembling mosaic or a mosaic
verb transitiveWord forms: moˈsaicked or moˈsaicking
9.
to make by or as by mosaic
10.
to decorate with mosaics
Derived forms
mosaically (moˈsaically)
adverb
mosaicist (moˈsaicist) (moʊˈzeɪəsɪst)
noun
Word origin
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
Examples of 'mosaic' in a sentence
mosaic
This busy mosaic design is perfect for anyone on a budget.
The Sun (2010)
This is the largest mosaic museum in the world and it opened only three years ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Beard is shown restored mosaics and frescoes, and taken inside store rooms packed with artefacts.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And Byzantine mosaics are a ghostly influence.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
To many it may be most important as an extremely rare surviving example of an early Byzantine mosaic.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Marvellous mosaics, realistic frescoes, silver and glass.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He showered it with marbled corridors, gilded mosaics, glass domes and polished mahogany.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The Sisley Spa has a large mosaic pool.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In almost all the houses, ancient frescoes and mosaics are at risk and the stability of the structures has been undermined by invading vegetation and periodic floods.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
mosaic
British English: mosaic /məˈzeɪɪk/ NOUN
A mosaic is a design made of small pieces of coloured stone or glass set in concrete or plaster.