tessera

American  

[tes-er-uh] / ˈtɛs ər ə /

noun

• tesserae
  plural

1. one of the small pieces used in mosaic work.

2. a small square of bone, wood, or the like, used in ancient times as a token, tally, ticket, etc.

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tessera British  

/ ˈtɛsərə /

noun

1. a small square tile of stone, glass, etc, used in mosaics

2. a die, tally, etc, used in classical times, made of bone or wood

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tesseral
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tesserae
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of tessera

1640–50; < Latin < Greek (Ionic) tésseres four

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tessera tesserae

DAVINCI+’s probe, O’Rourke says, would get an extremely close-up and detailed view of just one tessera.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 2, 2021

You get the impression that not a tile or a tessera has been laid, not a square inch of valance put in place, without the boss's scrutinizing it.

From Time Magazine Archive

Instead we drink milk from Prim's goat, Lady, and eat the rough bread made from the tessera grain, although no one has much appetite anyway.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

You can see why someone like Madge, who has never been at risk of needing a tessera, can set him off.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

I don't recognize the grain, our own tessera ration cooks down to an unattractive brown mush.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Back in the lab, in late June 2022, Estrada-Belli homed in on the chunks of jade, known to archaeologists as tesserae.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 26, 2024

Both missions will also examine the tesserae, odd continentlike plateaus that dot the Venusian surface.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 17, 2021

This mosaic structure, combining tesserae of research with narrative episodes, perfectly reflects the moment.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2020

You assemble those little tiles, the tesserae, from as many interviews as possible, and create the image of a biblical scene or portrait of a saint, proceeding in chronological order.

From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2019

And even though the rules were set up by the Capitol, not the districts, certainly not Madge's family, it's hard not to resent those who don't have to sign up for tesserae.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

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