Meaning & use
mosaics
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“mosaics” is a form of “mosaic”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Pictures or patterns made by fitting together many small pieces of colored stone, glass or tile.
Grammar: Plural of mosaic: one mosaic, several mosaics.
Patterns
- mosaics of something
- mosaics on something
The church floor is covered with ancient mosaics of birds and fish.
Students made mosaics from broken tiles for the school garden.
Roman mosaics have survived for nearly two thousand years.
nounpluralfigurative
Mixtures of different elements that together form a varied whole, often used figuratively.
Grammar: Often followed by of: mosaics of cultures.
Patterns
- mosaics of something
Large cities are often mosaics of languages and traditions.
The documentary presented the town as a mosaic of small family stories.
The satellite photos showed mosaics of fields in different colors.
Common combinations
- Roman mosaics
- Roman mosaics often show scenes from daily life.
- glass mosaics
- Glass mosaics glitter in the cathedral dome.
- create mosaics
- She creates mosaics from sea glass she finds on the beach.
- intricate mosaics
- The palace walls are decorated with intricate mosaics.
- mosaics of cultures
- The city is one of the great mosaics of cultures in Europe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- patchworks
- Patchworks are made of fabric pieces sewn together, whereas mosaics use hard pieces fixed in cement.
- collages
- Collages glue mixed materials such as paper onto a surface, and they look less regular than most mosaics.
- tilework
- Tilework is a broader word for any decoration using tiles, even plain ones that form no picture.
Word family
Commonly confused: mosaics or mosques?
mosaics vs mosques
Mosques are Islamic places of worship. The words sound a bit alike but mean entirely different things.
Practice
The museum has a large collection of Roman ___ made from tiny colored stones.
Choose one answer.
Pictures built from small stones are mosaics. Mosques are buildings and mascots are team symbols, so they do not fit being made from stones.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mosaics”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.