mosaic

mosaic — adjective

1. created by pressing tiny coloured fragments of stone, glass, or ceramic into a b

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

created by pressing tiny coloured fragments of stone, glass, or ceramic into a base to produce a decorated surface or picture.

Example

The old church has a beautiful mosaic floor that was laid in the 12th century.

attributive: mosaic + noun (floor, tile, artwork)

Camille bought a mosaic tabletop with patterns of blue and green glass pieces.

Common collocations
  • mosaic floor
  • mosaic tile
  • mosaic artwork
  • mosaic pattern
  • mosaic tabletop
Synonyms
  • tiled

    broader — refers to any covering of tiles, not necessarily decorative patterns

  • inlaid

    different technique — pieces are set into a cut-out surface rather than placed side by side

  • tessellated

    formal term for patterns of small shapes that fit together without gaps

Grammar Patterns

mosaic + noun

Usage Note

Almost always used before a noun — you would say 'mosaic floor', not 'the floor is mosaic'. The word describes the construction method, not just the appearance.

Common Mistakes

The museum floor is mosaic made of tiles.
The museum has a mosaic floor made of tiles.
mosaic is an attributive adjective; use a noun construction instead of predicative 'is mosaic'.

2. connected with Moses — the Hebrew leader who, according to the Bible, received t

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

connected with Moses — the Hebrew leader who, according to the Bible, received the Ten Commandments from God and gave the laws recorded in the first five books.

Example

The museum displays fragments of ancient scrolls containing parts of the Mosaic Law.

capitalised: Mosaic + Law / covenant / tradition

Scholars still debate the exact origins of the Mosaic traditions found in the Old Testament.

Common collocations
  • Mosaic Law
  • Mosaic covenant
  • Mosaic tradition
  • Mosaic authorship

Grammar Patterns

Mosaic + noun

Usage Note

Almost always capitalised. The word appears most commonly before 'law', 'covenant', or 'tradition'. Distinguish from sense 1 (COLOURED TILES), which uses a lowercase 'm'.

Common Mistakes

The mosaic law says not to steal.
The Mosaic Law says not to steal.
when referring to the laws of Moses, capitalise the M to distinguish from the tile-art meaning.

mosaic — noun

mosaic — verb

Word family

  • mosaically
    adverbC2
  • mosaicist
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe something assembled from separate pieces, but each emphasises a different material or technique. A mosaic uses hard materials such as stone, glass, or ceramic — the pieces are set side by side with grout between them, and the result is permanent and durable. A collage uses soft materials such as paper, fabric, or photographs glued onto a surface — it is lighter in feel and easier to alter. A montage is assembled from photographic or film images, often overlapping, and is common in visual media and cinema. Patchwork involves sewing fabric pieces together, traditionally for blankets or quilts, and suggests an irregular, handmade quality. Tessellation, the most technical term, describes any arrangement of shapes that fit together without gaps or overlaps, regardless of whether the result is decorative. For example: 'The Roman mosaic still decorates the villa floor after two thousand years'; 'She made a collage of magazine cutouts for art class'; 'The film opens with a montage of morning scenes across the city'; 'The quilt is a cheerful patchwork of floral cotton squares.'

mosaic ↗collage ↗montagepatchworktessellation

Common collocations

Nouns

  • mosaic tile
  • mosaic floor
  • mosaic pattern
  • mosaic artwork
  • mosaic artist

Adverbs

  • beautifully mosaicked
  • intricately mosaicked
  • elaborately mosaicked

Phrases

  • piece of mosaic
  • in the form of a mosaic
  • a mosaic of colours

Prepositions

  • mosaic of
  • in mosaic
  • made with mosaic
  • mosaic with

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'mosaic' comes from Medieval Latin 'musaicum', meaning 'work of the Muses'. The ancient Greeks and Romans considered this decorative art form worthy of the Muses — the goddesses who inspired art, music, and literature. The Latin term passed through Old French 'mosaïque' before entering English in the 14th century. The capitalised adjective sense (Mosaic, relating to Moses) has a separate origin — it comes directly from Latin 'Mosaicus', based on the Greek name Mōusēs (Moses), and entered English in the 17th century.