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
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

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 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.

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