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tessera

Pronunciation: /ˈtɛs(ə)rə/
Definition of tessera

noun (plural tesserae /-riː/)

  • a small block of stone, tile, glass, or other material used in the construction of a mosaic: Roman remains including tesserae have been found
  • (in ancient Greece and Rome) a small tablet of wood or bone used as a token.

Derivatives

tesseral

adjective

Origin:

mid 17th century: via Latin from Greek, neuter of tesseres, variant of tessares 'four'

tessera in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of tessera in the US English dictionary