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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
Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
The law signed by Hochul would apply statewide and would apply to any house of worship, including mosques, which have also been targeted by protests over the years.
—CBS News, 28 May 2026
Paired with his illustrations, Macauley’s book details the creation of a 16th century Turkish mosque, along with its societal functions and significance.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
Evidence tied to last week's deadly attack on a California mosque illustrates a violent ideology and playbook that is all too familiar to counterterrorism and extremism experts.
—Odette Yousef, NPR, 27 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 5 Jun. 2026.
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mosque
noun
