Where does “mosaic” come from?
Mosaic comes from Middle French mosaïque, from Italian mosaico, from Latin musaicum or musivum, ultimately from Ancient Greek Μοῦσα, meaning a Muse or source of artistic inspiration.
mosaic (English): A piece of artwork created by placing colored...
Definitions
- A piece of artwork created by placing colored...
Ancestry of “mosaic”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | mosaïque | mosaic; related to Moses |
| 2 | Italian | mosaico | mosaic, puzzle, jigsaw, jigsaw puzzle; mixture;... |
| 3 | Latin | musaicum | — |
| 4 | Latin | musivum | mosaic |
| 5 | Latin | mūsēum | a place or temple devoted to the Muses |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μουσεῖον | a home of music poetry; a museum, a... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μοῦσα | Alternative letter-case form of Μοῦσᾰ; music,... |