mosaic

/moʊˈzeɪɪk/

/məʊˈzeɪɪk/

Other forms: mosaics

If you’ve ever seen a piece of artwork where the picture is comprised of little clay tiles, then you’ve seen a mosaic.

If you break a nice piece of china, or a stain glass window, you could save the broken pieces for future use in a mosaic. A mosaic is a style of art where a larger image is created by arranging bits of clay, glass, or other materials in a pattern. More broadly, you can use this word to describe anything that is made up of many different elements, such as “the diverse group represented a mosaic of different viewpoints.”

Definitions of mosaic

1. noun

   art consisting of a design made of small pieces of colored stone or glass
   type of:

   art, fine art

   the products of human creativity; works of art collectively
2. noun

   arrangement of aerial photographs forming a composite picture
   synonyms: arial mosaic, photomosaic

   type of:

   exposure, photo, photograph, pic, picture

   a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide; recorded by a camera on light-sensitive material
3. noun

   a pattern resembling a mosaic
   type of:

   form, pattern, shape

   a perceptual structure
4. noun

   transducer formed by the light-sensitive surface on a television camera tube
   type of:

   transducer

   an electrical device that converts one form of energy into another
5. noun

   viral disease in solanaceous plants (tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco) resulting in mottling and often shriveling of the leaves
   types:

   potato mosaic

   a disease of the leaves of potato plants

   tobacco mosaic

   a plant disease causing discoloration of the leaves of tobacco plants

   type of:

   plant disease

   a disease that affects plants