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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
Matthew Continetti, National Review, 6 Apr. 2024
Satellite imagery shows that more than 30% of Gaza's buildings − entire neighborhoods once teeming with schools, mosques, coffee shops, traffic, clothing stores, restaurants, sports fields − have been reduced to rubble.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The largest and among the oldest mosques in Gaza, it was destroyed by an Israeli missile in December.
—Ghada Abdulfattah, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Apr. 2024
At the start of the year, for example, Modi presided over a landmark inauguration ceremony of a controversial Hindu temple built on the ruins of a centuries-old mosque that was destroyed by right-wing groups in 1992.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
Naseem Majdi, 12, sits beside the body of his friend Amro on a wooden table inside a mosque in Burin.
—Marcus Yam, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Last October, the governor authorized expanding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which mosques, churches and synagogues can use to bolster safety and security.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
After the prayers end, mourners carry Amro’s body out of the mosque.
—Marcus Yam, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Whole neighborhoods were devastated in the northeastern part of the city, where gas cylinders were turned into makeshift bombs and tossed into mosques.
—Sameer Yasir, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mosque.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mosque
Cite this Entry
“Mosque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosque. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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mosque
noun
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