📖 M — The English dictionary · page 45

mosaic — Everyday, meaning 1: A picture or pattern made by putting together many small pieces of coloured stone, glass or tile.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Something made of many different parts mixed together (a mosaic of cultures).↗ Example: We saw a Roman mosaic of a dolphin on the floor.↗ · In art we made a mosaic from tiny squares of paper.↗ · The church window is a glass mosaic.↗ · The city is a mosaic of different cultures.↗ · The mosaic used over 1,000 tiny tiles.↗ · Square tiles fit together well in a mosaic.↗ · Then he went on through richly-furnished chambers, over mosaic floors, amid gorgeous pictures.↗

mosque — Everyday, meaning 1: A building where Muslims go to pray and worship together.↗ Example: We visited a mosque on our school trip.↗ · People take off their shoes before they enter the mosque.↗ · The mosque has a big green dome.↗ · My neighbour goes to the mosque on Fridays.↗ · The call to prayer comes from the minaret of the mosque.↗ · The mosque is decorated with beautiful patterns, not pictures of people.↗ · They walked about the bazaar and went to the mosque, but nobody saluted them or invited them to come in and rest.↗

mosquito — Everyday, meaning 1: A mosquito is a small flying insect with long legs; the females bite people and animals and suck their blood.↗ Example: A mosquito bit me on the arm.↗ · Mosquito bites are very itchy.↗ · Put on insect repellent to keep mosquitoes away.↗ · We slept under a mosquito net.↗ · Mosquitoes lay their eggs in still water.↗ · Empty the old paddling pool so mosquitoes can't breed.↗ · Only female mosquitoes bite.↗ · In some countries mosquitoes carry malaria.↗ · A queer sound could be heard, soft as a little bell, and faint and muffled like the buzz of a far-away mosquito.↗

moss — Everyday, meaning 1: A small, soft, green plant without flowers that grows in thick, low patches on damp ground, rocks, trees and walls.↗ Example: The old wall was covered in green moss.↗ · Moss feels soft and spongy.↗ · Mosses grow in damp, shady places.↗ · Be careful — moss on the rocks is slippery.↗ · Moss makes spores instead of seeds.↗ · Birds use moss to line their nests.↗ · We found moss growing between the paving stones.↗ · A rolling stone gathers no moss.↗ · Not a single glow-worm glittered in the moss.↗ · The mosses by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile, shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more.↗ (Prophets ISA.19.7, JPS 1917)↗

mossy — Everyday, meaning 1: Covered with moss, the soft, green, low plant that grows on damp stones, trees and ground.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Like moss: soft, green and springy.↗ Example: The path through the woods was soft and mossy.↗ · Be careful, those mossy rocks are slippery!↗ · An old mossy wall ran round the garden.↗ · The frog sat on a mossy log by the pond.↗ · We found tiny insects living in the mossy bark.↗ · The roof of the shed was green and mossy.↗ · The fairy house was built on a mossy stump.↗ · As usual, her attendants let her do anything she pleased, and sitting down on a mossy bank where a little stream tinkled by, soon fell sound asleep.↗

most — Everyday, meaning 1: Most means the biggest amount or number.↗ The one with the most has more than all the others.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Most means nearly all, more than half: «most children like ice cream».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Most makes long adjectives into «the biggest» form: «the most beautiful».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: «At most» means that number or less, not more.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (casual, US) «Most» is clipped «almost»: «most everyone came».↗ Everyday, meaning 6: (casual) «The most» can mean very: «that's the most fun ever»; «make the most of it» means use it well.↗ Everyday, meaning 7: (formal) «Most» means very: «a most interesting question»; «the maximum», «the majority» and «not exceeding» are stiff words: «The majority of respondents…».↗ Example: Who has the most apples?↗ · Which day had the most rain?↗ · At most 4 children fit in a car.↗ · Most of the pupils walk to school.↗ · The tallest bar shows the class that read the most books.↗ · She is the most helpful person I know.↗ · Let's make the most of the sunny weather.↗ · The mode is the number that appears most often.↗ · who got the most sweets, i got 7 (casual)↗ · You've got the most and you're still moaning?↗ Greedy git.↗ (rough)↗ · That is a most interesting question.↗ (formal)↗ · Each vehicle has a capacity not exceeding 4 passengers; determine the minimum number of vehicles required for 18.↗ (formal exam)↗ · They complain most who suffer least.↗ · Every male among the priests may eat thereof; it is most holy.↗ (Torah LEV.6.29, JPS 1917)↗ · And this is the law of the guilt-offering: it is most holy.↗ (Torah LEV.7.1, JPS 1917)↗ · And thou shalt put the ark-cover upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.↗ (Torah EXO.26.34, JPS 1917)↗ · How is the most fine gold changed!↗ (Writings LAM.4.1, JPS 1917)↗ · And is there knowledge in the Most High?'↗ (Writings PSA.73.11, JPS 1917)↗ · His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely.↗ (Writings SNG.5.16, JPS 1917)↗

mostly — Everyday, meaning 1: Mostly means almost all, or the biggest part.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Mostly means usually, most of the time.↗ Example: The sky was mostly blue with a few clouds.↗ · The Earth's surface is mostly covered by water.↗ · I mostly walk to school.↗ · The class was mostly girls.↗ · The story is mostly true.↗ · Our dog eats mostly dry food.↗ · When she was old enough to ask them they were mostly about Peter Pan.↗ · The Hebrew language and its characters correspond mostly with the things they designate, and thus holy thoughts, Hebrew language (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗

mot — Everyday, meaning 1: (UK) An MOT is a yearly test that cars more than a few years old must pass to show they are safe to drive on the road.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (rare, from French) A mot or «bon mot» is a clever, witty remark.↗ Example: Dad's car failed its MOT because of a broken light.↗ · The car is due for its MOT next month.↗ · The garage does MOTs on Saturdays.↗ · You cannot legally drive an old car without a valid MOT.↗ · Mum was pleased the car passed its MOT.↗ · The writer was famous for his witty bons mots.↗ · The MOT checks the brakes, tyres and lights.↗

mote — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A tiny speck of dust.↗ Example: Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance; behold the isles are as a mote in weight.↗ (Prophets ISA.40.15, JPS 1917)↗

motel — Everyday, meaning 1: A hotel by a road for people travelling by car, where you can usually park right outside your room.↗ Example: We stayed at a motel on our road trip across Canada.↗ · The motel had a swimming pool and free breakfast.↗ · Dad parked the car right outside our motel room.↗ · There's a cheap motel just off the highway.↗ · The motel sign flashed "VACANCY" in red.↗ · We stopped at a motel in the outback for the night.↗ · In Australia many small towns have one pub and one motel.↗

moth — Everyday, meaning 1: An insect like a butterfly, usually with dull brown or grey wings, that mostly flies at night and is drawn to lights.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A small moth whose young (larvae) eat holes in wool clothes.↗ Example: A moth flew around the lamp.↗ · Moths are attracted to light at night.↗ · The caterpillar turned into a moth.↗ · Moths ate holes in Grandpa's wool jumper.↗ · Some moths are as colourful as butterflies.↗ · Moths help pollinate flowers at night.↗ · For they saw at once that it was the great white Arctic moth.↗ · Though I am like a wine-skin that consumeth, like a garment that is moth-eaten.↗ (Writings JOB.13.28, JPS 1917)↗ · He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth which the keeper maketh.↗ (Writings JOB.27.18, JPS 1917)↗ · Behold, they all shall wax old as a garment, the moth shall eat them up.↗ (Prophets ISA.50.9, JPS 1917)↗

mother — Everyday, meaning 1: A mother is a woman who has a child.↗ Your mother is your mom or mum.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An animal mother is the female that has babies: the mother bird.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To mother someone is to care for them, sometimes too much.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Something can be called the mother of another thing when it gives rise to it or brings it about.↗ Example: His mother gave him 5 dollars.↗ · Her mother is 3 times as old as she is.↗ · Mother baked 24 cookies.↗ · The mother bird brought 6 worms.↗ · We made cards for Mother's Day.↗ · The mother elephant protects her calf.↗ · Her mother tongue is Spanish.↗ · My mother is a nurse at the hospital.↗ · Necessity is the mother of invention.↗ · And Isaac was comforted for his mother.↗ (Torah GEN.24.67, JPS 1917)↗ · Cursed be he that lieth with his mother-in-law.↗ (Torah DEU.27.23, JPS 1917)↗ · Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.↗ (Torah EXO.23.19, JPS 1917)↗ · And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.↗ (Prophets 1KI.22.42, JPS 1917)↗ · We are become orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.↗ (Writings LAM.5.3, JPS 1917)↗ · The words of king Lemuel; the burden wherewith his mother corrected him.↗ (Writings PRO.31.1, JPS 1917)↗

motherless — Everyday, meaning 1: Motherless means having no living mother.↗ Example: The motherless child was given to the care of Hermes.↗ · The little motherless girl was often treated unkindly.↗ · Many fairy tales begin with a motherless prince.↗

motif — Everyday, meaning 1: A pattern or picture that is repeated in a design, such as on fabric or wallpaper: a flower motif.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An idea, image or theme that keeps coming back in a story, film or piece of music.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (music) A short group of notes repeated in a piece.↗ Example: We printed a leaf motif across the fabric.↗ · The T-shirt has a star motif on the front.↗ · Light and dark is a motif in the story.↗ · Repeat your motif to make a pattern.↗ · The tiles have a blue wave motif.↗ · That four-note motif comes back again and again in the music.↗ · The castle is a motif in many fairy tales.↗ · Parallels.--The lover visiting his spouse in guise of a bird, is a frequent motif in folk-tales.↗

motion — Everyday, meaning 1: Movement; the act of moving.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A single movement, especially of the hand or body.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) To give someone a sign with your hand or head.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A formal suggestion that a group votes on at a meeting or debate.↗ Example: The train was already in motion.↗ · Do not stand up while the bus is in motion.↗ · We watched the goal again in slow motion.↗ · She motioned for us to sit down.↗ · A force can change an object's motion.↗ · The light came on because of a motion sensor.↗ · Some people get motion sickness on boats.↗ · He watched every motion of the child.↗ · Because it regulates the motions of the Sun and Moon in their proper order, each in an orbit convenient for it.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887)↗ · The Twenty-seventh Path is the Exciting Intelligence, and it is so called bemuse by it is created the Intellect of all created beings under the highest heaven, and the excitement or motion of them.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887)↗

motionless — Everyday, meaning 1: Not moving at all; completely still.↗ Example: The cat sat motionless, watching the mouse hole.↗ · The lake was motionless on the windless morning.↗ · She stood motionless so the deer would not run away.↗ · A ball lying motionless on the grass has no speed.↗ · The man lay motionless on the path, so we called for help.↗ · The lizard stayed motionless on the warm rock.↗ · During the game of statues everyone must be motionless when the music stops.↗ · He stood motionless, one hand to his ear.↗

motivated — Everyday, meaning 1: Motivated means keen and wanting to work hard to do something.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Motivated also means caused or made to happen by a reason, as in «a racially motivated attack».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Past form of «motivate»: gave someone a reason to act.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A story or action that is well motivated has a clear, believable reason behind why things happen.↗ Example: She is very motivated to learn the piano.↗ · The coach motivated the team at half-time.↗ · I feel motivated after the holidays.↗ · His kindness was motivated by love.↗ · The crime was motivated by money.↗ · Motivated pupils often ask lots of questions.↗ · But the tale as is told is clearly not sufficiently motivated.↗

motivating — Everyday, meaning 1: Making someone want to do something or try hard.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (adjective) Giving you energy and the wish to work or keep going.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Being the reason behind something, as in "the motivating idea".↗ Example: The coach is great at motivating the team.↗ · I find sticker charts really motivating.↗ · Motivating yourself to do homework on a sunny day is hard.↗ · Her speech was so motivating that we all signed up to help.↗ · Money was the motivating factor for the thief.↗ · Seeing my progress on the chart is motivating.↗ · Our teacher is good at motivating children who find maths hard.↗

motivation — Everyday, meaning 1: The wish or energy to do something and keep trying.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A reason for doing something.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal) Something that gives a reason or encourages action.↗ Example: I lost my motivation to practise piano after the holidays.↗ · Winning the cup was a big motivation for the team.↗ · What was the villain's motivation for stealing the jewel?↗ · Our teacher gives us stickers for motivation.↗ · Hunger is a strong motivation for animals to hunt.↗ · She has lots of motivation; she practises every day.↗ · The motivation behind the new rule was to keep everyone safe.↗