mosaic (məˈzeɪɪk) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a design or decoration made up of small pieces of coloured glass, stone, etc |
| 2. | the process of making a mosaic |
| 3. | a. a mottled yellowing that occurs in the leaves of plants affected with any of various virus diseases |
| b. Also called: mosaic disease any of the diseases, such as tobacco mosaic, that produce this discoloration | |
| 4. | genetics another name for chimera |
| 5. | an assembly of aerial photographs forming a composite picture of a large area on the ground |
| 6. | a light-sensitive surface on a television camera tube, consisting of a large number of granules of photoemissive material deposited on an insulating medium |
| [C16: via French and Italian from Medieval Latin mōsaicus, from Late Greek mouseion mosaic work, from Greek mouseios of the Muses, from mousa | |
| mosaicist | |
| —n | |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |