mosaic
mosaic Lexical Profile
mosaic Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A picture, pattern, or decoration made by arranging small colored pieces of stone, tile, glass, or other hard materials.
"The ancient Roman villa was famous for its remarkably preserved floor mosaic depicting maritime scenes."
A colorful, varied, and cohesive combination of diverse elements.
"The city's vibrant neighborhoods form a cultural mosaic that attracts sociologists from around the world."
An individual organism or tissue that contains two or more types of genetically different cells.
"Because of X-chromosome inactivation, every female calico cat is effectively a genetic mosaic."
• adjective
Relating to or resembling a mosaic, especially in consisting of diverse elements arranged closely together.
"From the airplane, the farmland below resembled a mosaic pattern of gold, green, and brown."
Pertaining to Moses, the biblical prophet, or the laws and writings attributed to him in the Hebrew Bible.
"The theology students spent the semester studying the intricate legal codes found within the Mosaic covenant."
• verb
To combine distinct visual images or digital data sets to form a continuous or comprehensive representation.
"The satellite photographs were carefully mosaicked together to produce a seamless, high-resolution map of the coastline."
To decorate a surface with or as if with a mosaic.
"Local volunteers mosaicked the community park benches with brightly colored shards of donated pottery."
Word Nuance & Usage
When functioning as an adjective pertaining to the biblical figure Moses (e.g., Mosaic law), the word is capitalized and pronounced identically, despite having a completely unrelated etymology.
• Rhymes for mosaic
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English, borrowed via Middle French 'mosaïque' and Italian 'mosaico', ultimately from the Greek 'mousaikos', meaning 'belonging to the Muses' (as such intricate artwork was often dedicated to them).