mosaic

/məʊˈzeɪɪk/ (bre, ipa) · [mozˈeɪk] /məʊˈzeɪɪk/ (ame, ipa) · [mozˈeɪk] /mō-ˈzā-ik/ (ame, mw) · /məʊˈzeɪ.ɪk/ (bre, ipa) · [mozˈeɪk] /moʊˈzeɪ.ɪk/ (ame, ipa)

mosaic — noun

  • mosaicsingular
  • mosaicsplural

1. a decorative picture or surface built from many tiny pieces of stone, glass, or

1.名詞C1
釋義

a decorative picture or surface built from many tiny pieces of stone, glass, or tile set side by side; the word can also mean this craft itself.

例句

Visitors stopped to photograph the Roman mosaic beside the old bath.

Roman mosaic as a finished artwork

Dewi made a flower mosaic from cracked cups and sea-blue tiles.

make a mosaic from + material

同義詞
  • inlay

    usually stresses decorative material set into a surface

  • tilework

    broader term for work made with tiles, not always pictorial

文法句型

a mosaic of + material/theme

make/create + a mosaic

用法筆記

Often names both the finished picture and the craft of making it.

2. something that looks as if many small coloured parts have been fitted together i

2.名詞C2
釋義

something that looks as if many small coloured parts have been fitted together into one design.

例句

From the hill, the rice fields looked like a green and gold mosaic.

look like + a mosaic

Morning sunlight threw a shifting mosaic across the classroom floor.

同義詞
  • pattern

    more general and does not suggest many small pieces

  • patchwork

    often suggests sewn pieces or a rougher joined look

文法句型

a mosaic of + colours/shapes

look like + a mosaic

用法筆記

Often follows 'of' when many small parts create one visible pattern.

3. a whole made by bringing many different kinds of people, things, or ideas togeth

3.名詞C2
釋義

a whole made by bringing many different kinds of people, things, or ideas together.

例句

The neighborhood is a mosaic of food stalls, temples, and repair shops.

a mosaic of + different local elements

Her playlist became a mosaic of jazz, hip-hop, and old film songs.

同義詞
  • blend

    suggests different parts mixed together, often more smoothly

  • patchwork

    can imply a less unified or less polished whole

文法句型

a mosaic of + groups/ideas

become + a mosaic of + elements

用法筆記

Used for an overall mix, not for one visible picture like sense 2.

4. a living thing whose body contains groups of cells that do not all share the sam

4.名詞C2
釋義

a living thing whose body contains groups of cells that do not all share the same genetic makeup.

例句

Doctors found the baby was a mosaic with two different cell lines.

be a mosaic with + cell lines

The lab report described the plant as a mosaic after tissue testing.

文法句型

be + a mosaic

a mosaic with + cell lines

用法筆記

Used mainly in genetics and developmental biology, often after 'be'.

mosaic — adjective