mosaic

views updated May 14 2018

mo·sa·ic / mōˈzā-ik/ • n. 1. a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass: the mosaic shows the baptism of Christ | [as adj.] a mosaic floor. ∎  decorative work of this kind: the walls and vaults are decorated by marble and mosaic. ∎  a colorful and variegated pattern: the bird's plumage was a mosaic of slate-gray, blue, and brown. ∎  a combination of diverse elements forming a more or less coherent whole: an incompetently constructed mosaic of competing interests. ∎  an arrangement of photosensitive elements in a television camera. 2. Biol. an individual (esp. an animal) composed of cells of two genetically different types. 3. (also mosaic disease) a viral disease that results in leaf variegation in tobacco, corn, sugar cane, and other plants.• v. (-sa·icked, -sa·ick·ing) [tr.] decorate with a mosaic: [as adj.] (mosaicked) the mosaicked swimming pool. ∎  combine (distinct or disparate elements) to form a picture or pattern: the digital data were combined, or mosaicked, to delineate counties.DERIVATIVES: mo·sa·i·cist / mōˈzāəsist/ n.

mosaic

views updated May 14 2018

mosaic
1. An organism made up of cells that have different genotypes but have developed from the same zygote. See also chimaera; gynandromorph.

2. A viral disease in plants that causes yellow patches to develop on the leaves, giving these a variegated appearance (see variegation). An example is tobacco mosaic, caused by tobacco mosaic virus.

Mosaic

views updated May 21 2018

MOSAIC

Mosaic was the first popular graphical World Wide Web browser. It was released on the Internet in early 1993 by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Mosaic is distinguished from other early web browsers by its ease of use and the addition of inline image to web documents.

mosaic

views updated May 23 2018

mosaic Technique of surface decoration using small pieces of coloured material set tightly together in an adhesive to form patterns or pictures. The technique was employed for floor and wall decorations in ancient Mesopotamia and Greece. Roman mosaics commonly featured a central design or a portrait, surrounded by a decorative geometric border. The art developed rapidly in early Christian times especially during the 4th–6th centuries and continues to be used for floors, church interiors, and wall decorations.

Mosaic

views updated May 29 2018

Mo·sa·ic / mōˈzā-ik/ • adj. of or associated with Moses.

Mosaic

views updated May 29 2018

Mosaic A utility that allows a user at a networked workstation to access information on the World Wide Web. See also Cello.

mosaic

views updated May 23 2018

mosaic. Patterned surface on floors, vaults, walls, etc., consisting of regular squares (tesserae) of glass, stone, pottery, marble, etc., embedded in a cement or plaster matrix.

Bibliography

Anthony (1968);
Portoghesi (1986);
Jane Turner (1996)

mosaic

views updated May 18 2018

mosaic XVI. — F. mosaïque — It. † mosaico, musaico — medL. mōsaicus, mūsaicus, obscurely f. late Gr. mouseîon, mousíon mosaic work (cf. MUSEUM).

Mosaic

views updated May 21 2018

Mosaic pert. to Moses. XVII. — F. mosaïque or modL. Mōsāicus, f. Mōsēs; see -IC.

mosaic

views updated May 23 2018

mosaic A general term for a virus disease of plants in which the symptoms include the appearance of angular areas of yellow colour on the leaves, forming a mosaic pattern.