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
Recent Examples on the WebThe medieval portion of the city, surrounded with high walls and jammed with ornate mosques and tombs, was named a UNESCO World Heritage site, in 2017, to much fanfare.—Maya Jasanoff, The New Yorker, 19 June 2024 The tomb is part of the prophet’s mosque, which is one of the three holiest sites in Islam, along with the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2024 The library and much of the rest of the mosque were destroyed in 1917 by a British artillery bombardment during World War I.—Bora Erden, New York Times, 28 May 2024 Additionally, 25,000 buildings have been destroyed, 32 hospitals forced out of service, and three churches, 341 mosques and 100 universities and schools destroyed, according to the Palestinian agency.—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 9 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for mosque
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mosque.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
earlier mosquee, from Middle French, from Old Italian moschea, from Old Spanish mezquita, from Arabic masjid temple, from sajada to prostrate oneself, worship
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