tessera

T1E1S1S1E1R1A1

noun

A small square piece of stone, wood, ivory or glass used for making a mosaic.

OriginLatin tessera ← Ancient Greek τέσσαρες →
UncommonScrabble 7
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Meanings

nountessera (plural tesserae)

plural tesserae

  1. A small square piece of stone, wood, ivory or glass used for making a mosaic.

    The map was laid using tesserae, small cube-shaped tiles of limestone, marble, or colored stone.

    2014, Jerry Brotton, Great Maps, DK, page 35
  2. astronomyA complex-ridged surface feature seen on plateau highlands of Venus and perhaps on Triton.
  3. rareAn ancient Roman die.

    During the reign of Augustus, Rome imported marble from Egypt and Africa, and games of tali and tessera were played.

    1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 110

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekτέσσαρες“four”
  2. Latintessera“a cube, a die with numbers on all six sides”
  3. Englishtessera

Borrowed from Latin tessera (“a cube, a die with numbers on all six sides”), from Ancient Greek τέσσαρες (téssares, “four”).

More words from Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 紙皮石 /纸皮石
  • 紙皮石 /纸皮石 (zhǐpíshí)small square piece of stone
Polish tessera
  • tesserasmall square piece of stone
Spanish tésera
  • téserasmall square piece of stone

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Teressaerasteseatress
Cite this entry
APA

tessera. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tessera

MLA

“tessera.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tessera. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tessera,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tessera.

Source: tessera on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.