tessellate

[ verb tes-uh-leyt; adjective tes-uh-lit, -leyt ]
See synonyms for tessellate on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),tes·sel·lat·ed, tes·sel·lat·ing.
  1. to form of small squares or blocks, as floors or pavements; form or arrange in a checkered or mosaic pattern.

adjective

Origin of tessellate

1
First recorded in 1785–95; from Latin tessellātus “mosaic,” equivalent to tessell(a) “small square stone or cube” (diminutive of tessera + -ātus; see origin at tessera,-ate1
  • Also tes·se·late .

Words Nearby tessellate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tessellate in a sentence

  • The bright mosaic, that with storied beauty, the floor of nature's temple tessellate.

    Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. Ballou

British Dictionary definitions for tessellate

tessellate

/ (ˈtɛsɪˌleɪt) /


verb
  1. (tr) to construct, pave, or inlay with a mosaic of small tiles

  2. (intr) (of identical shapes) to fit together exactly: triangles will tessellate but octagons will not

Origin of tessellate

1
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