English
mosaic
Mosaic comes from Middle French mosaïque ‘mosaic (artwork)’, and goes back to Late Latin mūsīvum.
- Late Latinmodernmūsīvum
- Medieval Latinmodernmusaicum
- Italianc. 1300–presentmosaico‘mosaic, puzzle, jigsaw, jigsaw puzzle’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600mosaïque‘mosaic (artwork)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1944mosaic
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Late Latinmodernmūsīvum
- Medieval Latinmodernmusaicum
- Italianc. 1300–presentmosaico‘mosaic, puzzle, jigsaw, jigsaw puzzle’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600mosaïque‘mosaic (artwork)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1944mosaic
Earliest quotation: 1944, War Department Technical Manual: “Featheredging is a process in preparing the photographs for…”
The story
From Middle French mosaïque, from Italian mosaico, from Medieval Latin musaicum, from Late Latin musivum (opus), from Latin museum, musaeum, probably from Ancient Greek Μουσεῖον (Mouseîon), shrine of the Muses (Μοῦσα (Moûsa)).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *men- ‘to think’
mind, money, music, amount, comment, mental, mention, remain, permanent, mouth, auto, min, mountain, monster, mount, monitor, mentor, mint, demonstration, monetary, maya, dementia, monument, imminent, amnesty, monk, muse, eminent, menace, ming, prominence, mas, mandarin, mantra, monastery, mania, monte, muster, amnesia, summon, 126 more
through Ancient Greek μουσεῖον ‘a choir’
Today it means
noun A piece of artwork created by placing colored pieces (usually tiles, either regular or irregular in shape) in a pattern so as to create a picture.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Late Latin mūsīvum / mosaic