tessera

[ tes-er-uh ]

/ ˈtɛs ər ə /

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.

Words nearby tessera

tesselate, tessellate, tessellated, tessellated fundus, tessellation, tessera, tesseract, tessie, tessin, tessitura, test

Origin of tessera

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tessera

But woe to the person who gives his tessera to a careless concierge!
Vistas in Sicily|Arthur Stanley Riggs
Ludus sit talis, tessera, saccho (ut nostra appellatione utur), carthis variis imaginibus pictis.
Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards|William Andrew Chatto
And, hark thee, tell the tribune that he look well to the tessera, and have the right count from the inspectors.
Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 (of 2)|John Roby
When one person was received kindly by another, or a contract of friendship was entered into, the tessera was given.
The World's Great Sermons, Volume 6: H. W. Beecher to Punshon|Various

The very earth within those walls had a reddish cast owing to the innumerable fragments of red tile and tessera mixed with it.
Afoot in England|W.H. Hudson

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