A mosaic is a picture or pattern made by fitting together many small pieces of colored stone, glass, or tile. The word is also used metaphorically for anything made of many different elements that form a whole.
From Old French *mosaïque*, from Italian *mosaico*, from Medieval Latin *musaicum (opus)*, originally “work of the Muses.” The connection to the Muses suggested something artistic and richly decorated.
A mosaic is art built out of tiny fragments, like a physical version of pixels on a screen. People now talk about a country’s “cultural mosaic” to emphasize that different cultures keep their uniqueness while forming one society. It’s a nice alternative to the “melting pot” idea, where differences are supposed to disappear.
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