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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
Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Capable of holding over 40,000 worshippers, the mosque puts the wealth of the Emirates on clear display.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2025
On Thursday, services for Islam began with a viewing at Parkchester Jame Masjid, a mosque in the Bronx.
—Stephen Sorace , Pilar Arias, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2025
The mosque was just a few blocks from Islam’s home.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 31 July 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 20 Aug. 2025.
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mosque
noun
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