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tessellate

[verb tes-uh-leyt; adjective tes-uh-lit, -leyt] /verb ˈtɛs əˌleɪt; adjective ˈtɛs ə lɪt, -ˌleɪt/
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verb (used with object), tessellated, tessellating.
1.
to form of small squares or blocks, as floors or pavements; form or arrange in a checkered or mosaic pattern.
adjective
2.
tessellated.
Origin of tessellate
Latin
1785-1795
1785-95; < Latin tessellātus mosaic, equivalent to tessell(a) small square stone (diminutive of tessera tessera) + -ātus -ate1
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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British Dictionary definitions for tessellate

tessellate

/ˈtɛsɪˌleɪt/
verb
1.
(transitive) to construct, pave, or inlay with a mosaic of small tiles
2.
(intransitive) (of identical shapes) to fit together exactly: triangles will tessellate but octagons will not
Word Origin
C18: from Latin tessellātus checked, from tessella small stone cube, from tessera
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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