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Mosques were known to the English-speaking world long before we called them mosques. In the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, we used many different variations of the word—moseak, muskey, moschy, mos’keh, among others—until we finally hit on mosquee, emulating Middle French. The Middle French word had come by way of Italian and Old Spanish from the Arabic word for "temple," which is masjid. In the early 1700s, we settled on the present spelling, and mosque thus joined other English words related to Muslim worship: mihrab, for the special niche in a mosque that points towards Mecca; minaret, for the tall slender tower of a mosque; and muezzin, for the crier who, standing in the minaret, calls the hour of daily prayers.
Examples of mosque in a Sentence
Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2025
Haseki Sultan Complex This large mosque complex in Fatih was the first imperial project of Mimar Sinan.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
The art of trees Among my favorite images is a carving of a tree from a late-medieval mosque in India.
—Mitchell Newberry, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2025
The mosque has existed in many forms since the 1980s, but this location opened in 2019 at 9333 S. Escanaba Ave.
—Ahmed Ali Akbar, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mosque
Cite this Entry
“Mosque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosque. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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mosque
noun
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