Mosaic \Mo*sa"ic\, 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.
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         A very beautiful mosaic pavement.        --Addison.
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   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.
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Mosaic \Mo*sa"ic\, n. [F. mosa["i]que; cf. Pr. mozaic, musec,
   Sp. & Pg. mosaico, It. mosaico, musaico, LGr. ?, ?, L.
   musivum; all fr. Gr. ? 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.
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   2. A picture or design made in mosaic; an article decorated
      in mosaic.
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   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]