Definition of mosque
: a building used for public worship by Muslims
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Recent Examples of mosque from the Web
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Under the settlement, the group will be allowed to build the mosque and the town agreed to limit the zoning restrictions placed on houses of worship.
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A New Jersey town will pay an Islamic group $3.25 million to settle a lawsuit over its denial of a permit to build a mosque, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
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A New Jersey township that stopped an Islamic society from building a mosque will pay the group $3.25 million, ending a multi-year battle that spanned 39 public hearings and included allegations of anti-Muslim animus.
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Relatives had alerted authorities that Abedi, 22, was flirting with extremist ideologies and had been involved in a fracas at a mosque after the imam there denounced terrorism.
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At the mosque that Abedi attended in Manchester, director of trustees Mohammed el-Khayat told worshippers that police would be told if anyone shows signs of having been radicalized.
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For home cooks, who often take turns hosting an iftar or carrying their homemade food to share at community centers and mosques, it’s time to shine.
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Three days later, a Shia mosque in Kuwait was hit by an ISIS suicide bomb that killed 26 Muslim worshippers.
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Though some Muslims use moon settings to establish the start of Ramadan, members of the Islamic Foundation North mosque are among those who use astronomical calculations.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mosque'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
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.
Origin and Etymology of mosque
earlier mosquee, from Middle French, from Old Italian moschea, from Old Spanish mezquita, from Arabic masjid temple, from sajada to prostrate oneself, worship
Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms
Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra
MOSQUE Defined for English Language Learners
mosque
playDefinition of mosque for English Language Learners
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: a building that is used for Muslim religious services
MOSQUE Defined for Kids
Learn More about mosque
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See words that rhyme with mosque Spanish Central: Translation of mosque Nglish: Translation of mosque for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mosque for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mosque
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