mo·sa·ic

/moʊˈzejık/ noun, pl -ics

1 : a decoration on a surface made by pressing small pieces of colored glass or stone into a soft material that then hardens to make pictures or patterns

[count]

a church decorated with old mosaics

[noncount]

a picture done in mosaic

— often used before another noun

a mosaic floor

mosaic glass/tiles

2 [count] : something made up of different things that together form a pattern

— usually singular

a complex mosaic of islands

the country's ethnic/political/religious/social mosaic