1Work produced in mosaic; the material or materials used for this.
2A work of art or design executed in mosaic; = mosaic.
Origin
Early 17th century; earliest use found in Joshua Sylvester (d. 1618), poet and translator. From mosaic + work, after Middle French oeuvre musaïque mosaic work, ouvrage mosayque, post-classical Latin musaicum opus, classical Latin opus museum mosaic work (2nd cent. a.d.).