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.
Examples of mosque in a Sentence
Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, Shah Alam’s friends and family gathered at a mosque Thursday for his funeral, offering prayers before accompanying him to a cemetery for burial.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Ali is imam of the Iqra Masjid Community & Tradition mosque.
—Joseph Potasnik, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
The ministry said settlers vandalized or attacked 45 mosques in the West Bank last year.
—Aref Tufaha, Arkansas Online, 24 Feb. 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 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mosque
noun
