From Arabic 'masjid' (place of prostration) — reshaped beyond recognition through Spanish, Italian, and French.
A Muslim place of worship.
From Arabic 'مسجد' (masjid), meaning 'place of prostration,' from the root 's-j-d' (سجد, to prostrate oneself, to bow down in worship). The word reached English through a chain of intermediaries: Arabic 'masjid' was borrowed into Egyptian Arabic colloquial as 'masgid,' then into Old Spanish as 'mezquita,' into Old Italian as 'moschea,' into Middle French as 'mosquée,' and finally into English as 'mosque.' Each language reshaped the word to fit its own
The word 'mosque' is so far removed from its Arabic original that many Arabic speakers do not recognize the connection. Arabic 'masjid' means 'place of prostration' — from the root s-j-d, describing the act of pressing one's forehead to the ground in prayer. The word traveled through Spanish (mezquita), Italian (moschea), and French (mosquée) before reaching