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
Zeke Miller, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
The recent destruction is much more far-reaching, flattening mosques, schools, greenhouses and even greenery.
—Samuel Granados, New York Times, 15 May 2025
Trump is not known to have visited any mosques in the United States as president.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 15 May 2025
Our mosque leaders' personal home addresses have been shared, jeopardizing the safety of families.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 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 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mosque
noun
Share