tessellate

Also tes·se·late

[tes-uh-leyt, tes-uh-lit, -leyt]

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

1. tessellated.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tessellate¹

First recorded in 1785–95; from Latin tessellātus “mosaic,” equivalent to tessell(a) “small square stone or cube” (diminutive of tessera + -ātus; tessera, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tessellate¹

C18: from Latin tessellātus checked, from tessella small stone cube, from _tessera

Example Sentences

You will note these two positions don't tessellate as neatly as they could.

From BBC

I note those two positions don't tessellate as neatly as they could.

From BBC

That geography is part of why the actual Biosphere 2 building looks so striking: Two ziggurats made of tessellated glass triangles are connected by a long, glass rectangular structure.

From Scientific American

“Occidental,” a group of works including “drone maps” made from tessellated aerial photographs during his time in the Amazon.

From New York Times

“It can be quite meditative. And it provides a better understanding of how a shape does or does not tessellate.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• decorate 

When To Use

What does tessellate mean?

To tessellate is to form a pattern of shapes that fit together perfectly, without any gaps.The resulting pattern can be called a tessellation. Such a pattern can be described as tessellated. This often often refers to a pattern that includes a repetition of one particular shape, such as the repetition of squares in a checkerboard. But tessellations can also be formed from multiple shapes. For example, a classic black-and-white soccer ball is an example of a tessellation that consists of two different shapes: hexagons and pentagons.Tesselate can be used in the sense of someone doing the tessellating (as in I tessellated these squares to form a checkerboard) or things tessellating by themselves (as in The shapes tessellate to form a pattern.)A tessellation is a kind of mosaic. They’re often seen on surfaces that have been covered in tiles. That’s because floor and wall tiles are often designed so that they can tessellate—fit together perfectly, without any overlap or gaps.Less commonly, tessellate can be used as an adjective meaning the same thing as a tessellated. Tessellate is sometimes spelled with one l, as tesselate.[caption id="attachment_169801" align="alignnone" width="300"] Source: Getty. These hexagons have been tessellated to form a tessellation.[/caption]Example: Hexagons were tessellated together to form a honeycomb pattern on the side of the building.