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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
Engin Kadaster, Travel + Leisure, 29 Dec. 2025
Officials have said that preliminary investigations indicate that explosive devices were planted inside the mosque in Homs, but authorities haven’t publicly identified a suspect yet in Friday’s bombing.
—CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025
Fire broke out in one corner of the mosque.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
Pictures at the scene show the mostly intact interior of a mosque with heavy black marks staining a wall corner.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 26 Dec. 2025
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 Jan. 2026.
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mosque
noun
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