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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
Brad Lendon and Alex Stambaugh, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
On Eid al-Fitr, Muslims may spend the morning in prayer at their mosque, then gather with friends and family to eat dinner, enjoy special sweet treats and give gifts.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
Across the United States, Eid runs on Dunkin’ — or Krispy Kreme or a local bakery, depending on where your mosque caters from.
—Sarah Khan, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
These include homes, hotels, a kindergarten, a mosque, stores, an air traffic control tower, bridges, and many more affected structures.
—Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 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 3 Apr. 2025.
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mosque
noun
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