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
Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026
Almost all the land was in the hands of oligarchic families or in the hands of mosques, the mosque endowments, and at the emancipation of women, giving women the right to vote.
—Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
As his first order of business in Chicago, Graham might want to consider visiting local churches, synagogues and mosques.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 5 May 2026
Arwa locations are painted in natural desert tones, with archways that mimic mosques and lampshades shaped like the hats worn by Yemen’s coffee farmers.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 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 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mosque
noun
