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
Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Also participating in Faith and Blue are POINT members and churches, centers, synagogues of various faiths, including Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist temples and mosques.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2025
The shooter in the Christ Church, New Zealand, massacre in 2019 infamously livestreamed on Facebook his killing of dozens of Muslims in two mosques.
—John Wihbey, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
Police said the fire damaged the front of the mosque and a vehicle parked outside.
—Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 5 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 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mosque
noun
Share