tessera

[ tes-er-uh ]

/ ˈtɛs ər ə /

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noun, plural tes·ser·ae

[tes-uh-ree]. /ˈtɛs əˌri/.

one of the small pieces used in mosaic work.

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

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Origin of tessera

1640–50; <Latin <Greek (Ionic) tésseresfour

Words nearby tessera

Tess, TESSA, tessellate, tessellated, tessellation, tessera, tesseract, Tessie, Tessin, tessitura, Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tessera in a sentence

The mission would include three orbiters, an aerobot to float in the clouds and a lander that could drill and analyze samples of tessera rocks.
How future spacecraft might handle tricky landings on Venus or Europa|Lisa Grossman|December 23, 2020|Science News
The tessera, or six-sided figure, bore on its additional faces the numbers two and five.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
Tessera, tes′e-ra, n. one of the small square tiles or cut stones used in forming tessellated pavements:—pl.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
These men are obliged to deliver the tablet (tessera) to the Tribunes before dark.
The Histories of Polybius, Vol. I (of 2)|Polybius

So bidding farewell to Petronius, he went hurriedly to the overseer of the "Putrid Pits" for his tessera.
Quo Vadis|Henryk Sienkiewicz
Let her take my tessera; she can wrap her head in a cloth, cover her shoulders with a mantle, and pass out.
Quo Vadis|Henryk Sienkiewicz

British Dictionary definitions for tessera

tessera

/ (ˈtɛsərə) /

noun plural -serae (-səˌriː)

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

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

Derived forms of tessera

tesseral, adjective

Word Origin for tessera

C17: from Latin, from Ionic Greek tesseres four

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