noun · academic

mosaic

UK/məʊˈzeɪ.ɪk/US/moʊˈzeɪ.ɪk/mo·SAIC

Band 7+speakingtask2

an artwork made from small pieces of stone, glass, or tile arranged to form a picture or pattern

Examples

The church floor is decorated with an intricate mosaic.

Roman mosaics often depict mythological scenes.

Conservators must stabilise loose tesserae when restoring a mosaic.

Band 8 sentence

The Byzantine basilica's mosaics combine vivid colour and iconographic detail to convey theological narratives.

Collocations

  • Roman mosaic
  • intricate mosaic
  • mosaic tiles

Word family

mosaics plural nounmosaicist noun

Common mistakes

muralmosaic

mozaicmosaic

Say it for a higher band

5wall decoration6mural7+mosaic

Synonyms

tessellation

Easily confused

fresco

The basilica contains both frescoes and mosaics from different centuries.

Related words

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In Art & Culture

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