tête-bêche

American

[tet-besh] / tɛtˈbɛʃ /

adjective

Philately.

of or relating to a pair of stamps that have been printed with one stamp inverted.

tête-bêche British

/ tɛtˈbɛʃ /

adjective

philately (of an unseparated pair of stamps) printed so that one is inverted in relation to the other

"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

Etymology

Origin of tête-bêche

1880–85; < French, equivalent to tête head + bêche, reduced from béchevet placed with the head of one against the foot of the other

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

tête-bêche

But you won't see it on the catwalks, because tête-bêche is one of the quirkier paperback fashions that has a resurgence every couple of decades.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 28, 2011

Obverse Books' 'Team Up' of Paul Magrs and George Mann Like wedges, blue eyeshadow and harem pants, the tête-bêche is making one of its periodic returns to favour.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 28, 2011

Now the tête-bêche is having one of its resurgences, with two separate publishers announcing books in the format – and again, they are in the speculative fiction market.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 28, 2011

American publisher Ace turned out hundreds of science , western and thriller novels in the tête-bêche format, which are highly collectible today.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 28, 2011

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023