sectile

[sek-til]

adjective

1. capable of being cut smoothly with a knife.

sectile

/ sɛkˈtɪlɪtɪ, ˈsɛktaɪl /

adjective

1. able to be cut smoothly

Other Word Forms

• sectility noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sectile¹

1710–20; < Latin sectilis cuttable, equivalent to sect ( us ) (past participle of secāre to cut; saw ¹ ) + -ilis -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of sectile¹

C18: from Latin sectilis, from secāre to cut

Example Sentences

Surviving tiles from those ruins told the archaeologists what materials had been used - hand-tooled limestone and Dead Sea stone, as well as imported marble - and that the inlay had been the ornate “Opus Sectile” style.

From Reuters

The type of flooring is known as opus sectile, Latin for "cut work", and "considered to be far more prestigious than mosaic tiles floors", according to Frankie Snyder, from the project's team.

From BBC

And the earlier its date the more surely was it a mosaic, not in the form of tesserae, but in the manner known as “opus sectile.”

From Project Gutenberg

Two varieties of mosaic can be distinguished, that in which marbles, stones, and coloured glass are cut into cubes only and the so-called sectile mosaic in which elaborate scenes and groups of figures are represented, the coloured pieces being sawn into shapes to fit in with the design.

From Project Gutenberg

The Tablinum in the house of the vestals and the temple of Jupiter on the Capitol were paved with sectile mosaic.

From Project Gutenberg