mos

a. Of or pertaining to the style of work called mosaic; formed by uniting pieces of different colors; variegated; tessellated; also, composed of various materials or ingredients. [ 1913 Webster ]

A very beautiful mosaic pavement. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Florentine mosaic. See under Florentine. --
Mosaic gold. (a) See Ormolu. (b) Stannic sulphide, SnS2, obtained as a yellow scaly crystalline powder, and used as a pigment in bronzing and gilding wood and metal work. It was called by the alchemists aurum musivum, or aurum mosaicum. Called also bronze powder. --
Mosaic work. See Mosaic, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. a. [ From Moses. ] Of or pertaining to Moses, the leader of the Israelites, or established through his agency; as, the Mosaic law, rites, or institutions. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. mosaïque; cf. Pr. mozaic, musec, Sp. & Pg. mosaico, It. mosaico, musaico, LGr. &unr_;, &unr_;, L. musivum; all fr. Gr. &unr_; belonging to the Muses. See Muse the goddess. ] 1. (Fine Arts) A surface decoration made by inlaying in patterns small pieces of variously colored glass, stone, or other material; -- called also mosaic work. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A picture or design made in mosaic; an article decorated in mosaic. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Something resembling a mosaic{ 1 }; something made up of different pieces, fitted together by design to form a unified composition. [ PJC ]

aerial mosaic An aerial photograph of a large area, made by carefully fitting together aerial photographs of smaller areas so that the edges match in location, and the whole provides a continuous image of the larger area. Called also
mosaic map and photomosaic. --
mosaic virus A type of plant virus that causes green and yellow mottling of leaves of a plant. A much-studied type is the tobacco mosaic virus, affecting the tobacco plant. [ PJC ]

a. Mosaic (in either sense). “A mosaical floor.” Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the manner of a mosaic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Attachment to the system or doctrines of Moses; that which is peculiar to the Mosaic system or doctrines. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL. See Mosasaurus. ] (Paleon.) An order of large, extinct, marine reptiles, found in the Cretaceous rocks, especially in America. They were serpentlike in form and in having loosely articulated and dilatable jaws, with large recurved teeth, but they had paddlelike feet. Some of them were over fifty feet long. They are, essentially, fossil sea serpents with paddles. Called also Pythonomarpha, and Mosasauria. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. (Paleon.) One of an extinct order of reptiles, including Mosasaurus and allied genera. See Mosasauria. [ 1913 Webster ]