tesserae

Variant of tessera

tessera definition

tes·sera (tes′ər ə)

noun pl. tesserae -·serae′ (-ē′)

  1. in ancient Rome, a small tablet of wood, ivory, etc. used as a token, ticket, label, etc.
  2. any of the small pieces used in mosaic work

Etymology: L, square piece, cube < Gr (Ionic) tesseres (for tessares), four: see tetra-

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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