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
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”; see museum, archive
Instead of a map, you face a seemingly random and complicated mosaic of signals.
Our Mind-Boggling Sense of Smell - Issue 91: The Amazing Brain|Ann-Sophie Barwich|October 14, 2020|Nautilus
To get even more control, give Mosaic a try—you can use it for a week for free, after which it’ll set you back $13.
Make the most of your dual or ultrawide monitor setup|David Nield|October 1, 2020|Popular Science
It lets you plot out a specific grid of areas for your programs to snap to, and the more room you have to play around with, the more useful Mosaic becomes.
Make the most of your dual or ultrawide monitor setup|David Nield|October 1, 2020|Popular Science
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|DAILY BEAST
The mosaic too looks to her eyes more like a work of the 1st than the 4th century B.C.
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Before her was a little Venetian mosaic table, and on it a tea-tray.
Dr. Dumany's Wife|Mr Jkai
Hence the Italian musaico, the French mosaique, and our English mosaic.
Notes and Queries, No. 179. Saturday, April 2, 1853.|Various
The miracles of the gospel could not astonish a people who held with intrepid faith the more splendid prodigies of the Mosaic law.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire|Edward Gibbon
Let the Mosaic law, life for a life Pay the long standing debt of blood.
Custer, and Other Poems.|Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Add to these the old Mosaic "Ten," and you have my religious creed complete.
Stage Confidences|Clara Morris
British Dictionary definitions for mosaic (1 of 2)
mosaic
/ (məˈzeɪɪk) /
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 forms of mosaic
mosaicist (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 mousaMuse
British Dictionary definitions for mosaic (2 of 2)
Mosaic
Mosaical
/ (məʊˈzeɪɪk) /
adjective
of or relating to Moses or the laws and traditions ascribed to him
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.