tessera

American  

[tes-er-uh] / ˈtɛs ər ə /

noun

plural

tesserae

1. one of the small pieces used in mosaic work.

2. a small square of bone, wood, or the like, used in ancient times as a token, tally, ticket, etc.

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tessera British  

/ ˈtɛsərə /

noun

1. a small square tile of stone, glass, etc, used in mosaics

2. a die, tally, etc, used in classical times, made of bone or wood

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Other Word Forms

• tesseral adjective

Etymology

Origin of tessera

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

Example Sentences

DAVINCI+’s probe, O’Rourke says, would get an extremely close-up and detailed view of just one tessera.

From Scientific American • Jun. 2, 2021

You get the impression that not a tile or a tessera has been laid, not a square inch of valance put in place, without the boss's scrutinizing it.

From Time Magazine Archive

Each tessera is worth a meager year's supply of grain and oil for one person.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

You can see why someone like Madge, who has never been at risk of needing a tessera, can set him off.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

I don't recognize the grain, our own tessera ration cooks down to an unattractive brown mush.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins