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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
Callum Sutherland, Time, 3 June 2025
In Ioannina, a lively university town where Byzantine churches co-exist with Ottoman-era mosques, sits the 3Portes Gallery.
—Helen Iatrou, AFAR Media, 29 May 2025
Following his armies’ conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Ottoman sultan Mehmed II famously transformed the Hagia Sophia, built as a Christian church, into a mosque.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 24 May 2025
Pakistan says two mosques hit A Pakistani military spokesman told broadcaster Geo that sites struck by India included two mosques and said there had been at least three deaths and 12 people injured.
—Staff, USA Today, 7 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 17 Jun. 2025.
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mosque
noun
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