tessera
one of the small pieces used in mosaic work.
a small square of bone, wood, or the like, used in ancient times as a token, tally, ticket, etc.
Origin of tessera
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use tessera in a sentence
The nave and porch were floored with plain red tesserae: in the apse was a simple mosaic panel in red, black and white.
The vats are often lined with cement containing datable potsherds, and are sometimes paved with mosaic tesserae.
How to Observe in Archaeology | VariousEach of these men who have gone the rounds (tessarii) at daybreak conveys the tesserae to the Tribune on duty.
The Histories of Polybius, Vol. I (of 2) | PolybiusIn the former the cubes, tesserae, are on the average a little less than half an inch square.
Pompeii, Its Life and Art | August MauFour tali were used at a time and they, like the tesserae, were generally thrown from a box, fritillus.
Cato Maior de Senectute | Marcus Tullius Cicero
British Dictionary definitions for tessera
/ (ˈtɛsərə) /
a small square tile of stone, glass, etc, used in mosaics
a die, tally, etc, used in classical times, made of bone or wood
Origin of tessera
1Derived forms of tessera
- tesseral, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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