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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
Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
My third space was a church, but the same dynamics could happen in a mosque, synagogue or in other third-space communities, such as a 12-step program, a jazz band or a softball league.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Mamdani started early, at temples, mosques and weekly street and cultural events, Singh said.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
Before the ban, police in Punjab raided the house of the TLP's leader, Saad Rizvi, and the government sealed mosques and seminaries associated with the party.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 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 Nov. 2025.
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mosque
noun
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