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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
ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Afternoon Da Nang might not have as many temples as other Vietnamese cities, but the city’s Cao Dai Temple is one of the more unusual ones, similar in style to both a church and a mosque.
—Tamara Hinson, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
Fourteen of the 16 candidates on the ballot have confirmed their attendance at the Islamic Center’s forum, said Sadaf Haq, who helped organize the mosque’s event.
—Dallas Morning News, 26 Mar. 2026
But most of the communal prayer events were canceled, with only one large gathering held in the Grand Mosalla mosque.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mosque
Cite this Entry
“Mosque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mosque. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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mosque
noun
