mosaic

Language: en

🇬🇧 /məˈzeɪk/ 🇺🇸 /moʊˈzeɪɪk/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    A picture or pattern produced by arranging small colored pieces of stone, glass, tile, or other material on a surface.; A combination of diverse elements forming a unified whole; a varied mixture.; An aerial photograph or satellite image made by assembling overlapping individual photographs into a composite image.; A viral disease of plants characterized by mottled or variegated patterns on leaves, caused by mosaic viruses.; In genetics, an organism or tissue that contains two or more populations of genetically distinct cells originating from a single zygote.
  2. adjective
    Relating to or resembling a mosaic in pattern or composition.; Relating to Moses or the laws and traditions attributed to him.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: mosaics

Collocations

mosaic tilemosaic patternmosaic artcreate a mosaicmosaic floormosaic virus

Derivatives

mosaicallymosaicistmosaicism

Synonyms

collagepatchworkmontagetessellationassemblage

Commonly confused

collage
EN: 'Mosaic' uses small hard pieces (tiles, glass, stone) arranged into a pattern; 'collage' uses various materials (often paper, fabric) glued onto a surface.
montage
EN: 'Montage' refers to a sequence of images or shots assembled together (especially in film); 'mosaic' is a physical artwork made of small pieces.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember 'mosaic' ends in '-aic' (not '-iac' or '-aick'). The stress falls on the second syllable: mo-ZAY-ic.

💬 Examples

  1. The ancient Roman villa featured a beautiful mosaic depicting scenes from mythology on its floor.

  2. The city is a mosaic of different cultures, languages, and traditions.

  3. The geologist studied the aerial mosaic to identify fault lines across the region.

  4. The tobacco plants showed symptoms of mosaic, with yellow and green mottling on the leaves.

  5. The patient was found to be a mosaic, with some cells carrying the mutation and others not.

  6. The mosaic pattern on the bathroom wall added a decorative touch to the space.

  7. Scholars debated the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch for centuries.