tessellate

[ verb tes-uh-leyt; adjective tes-uh-lit, -leyt ]

verb (used with object)

, tes·sel·lat·ed, tes·sel·lat·ing.

1. to form of small squares or blocks, as floors or pavements; form or arrange in a checkered or mosaic pattern.

adjective

1. tessellated.

tessellate

/ ˈtɛsɪˌleɪt /

verb

1. tr to construct, pave, or inlay with a mosaic of small tiles
2. intr (of identical shapes) to fit together exactly

   triangles will tessellate but octagons will not

Word History and Origins

Origin of tessellate¹

First recorded in 1785–95; from Latin tessellātus “mosaic,” equivalent to tessell(a) “small square stone or cube” (diminutive of tessera + -ātus; tessera, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of tessellate¹

C18: from Latin tessellātus checked, from tessella small stone cube, from tessera

Example Sentences

You will note these two positions don't tessellate as neatly as they could.

From BBC

I note those two positions don't tessellate as neatly as they could.

From BBC

That geography is part of why the actual Biosphere 2 building looks so striking: Two ziggurats made of tessellated glass triangles are connected by a long, glass rectangular structure.

From Scientific American

“Occidental,” a group of works including “drone maps” made from tessellated aerial photographs during his time in the Amazon.

From New York Times

“It can be quite meditative. And it provides a better understanding of how a shape does or does not tessellate.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• decorate

More About Tessellate

What does tessellate mean?

To tessellate is to form a pattern of shapes that fit together perfectly, without any gaps.

The resulting pattern can be called a tessellation. Such a pattern can be described as tessellated. This often often refers to a pattern that includes a repetition of one particular shape, such as the repetition of squares in a checkerboard. But tessellations can also be formed from multiple shapes. For example, a classic black-and-white soccer ball is an example of a tessellation that consists of two different shapes: hexagons and pentagons.

Tesselate can be used in the sense of someone doing the tessellating (as in I tessellated these squares to form a checkerboard) or things tessellating by themselves (as in The shapes tessellate to form a pattern.)

A tessellation is a kind of mosaic. They’re often seen on surfaces that have been covered in tiles. That’s because floor and wall tiles are often designed so that they can tessellate—fit together perfectly, without any overlap or gaps.

Less commonly, tessellate can be used as an adjective meaning the same thing as a tessellated. Tessellate is sometimes spelled with one l, as tesselate.

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-169801" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-169801" src="https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/tessellation-yellow-orange-honeycomb_Getty-300x199.jpg" alt="yellow and orange honeycomb pattern" width="300" height="199" srcset="https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/tessellation-yellow-orange-honeycomb_Getty-300x199.jpg 300w, https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/tessellation-yellow-orange-honeycomb_Getty-272x181.jpg 272w, https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/tessellation-yellow-orange-honeycomb_Getty-400x267.jpg 400w, https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/tessellation-yellow-orange-honeycomb_Getty.jpg 726w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />

Source: Getty. These hexagons have been tessellated to form a tessellation.

Example: Hexagons were tessellated together to form a honeycomb pattern on the side of the building.

Where does tessellate come from?

The first records of the word tessellate come from the late 1700s. It ultimately comes from the Latin word tessellātus, which means “mosaic” and is related to the Latin tessell(a), meaning “a small square stone or cube.”

A pattern consisting entirely of squares is probably the most basic kind of tessellation. But multiple shapes can be tessellated to form a pattern that perfectly fits together. Many traditional quilts are formed by tessellating multiple kinds of shapes. Tessellations can even be found in nature, such as in the patterns on the skin or fur of certain animals or the shapes that form in dried mud. The artist M. C. Escher is known for creating intricate patterns by tessellating irregular images, such as birds and fish.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to tessellate?

• tesselate (alternate spelling)
• tessellated (past tense verb, adjective)
• tessellation (noun)

What are some synonyms for tessellate?

• tile (when tile is used as a verb)

What are some words that share a root or word element with tessellate? 

• tesseract
• tessera

What are some words that often get used in discussing tessellate?

• pattern
• geometric
• shape
• tile
• repeating
• square
• triangle
• hexagon
• polygon

How is tessellate used in real life?

Tessellate is a somewhat technical term. Tessellations can be found in all kinds of artwork, such as tilework and quilts, but they can also occur naturally.

We can follow the same steps to create sixfold patterns by drawing construction lines over a circle divided into six parts, and then tessellating it, we can make something like the below. pic.twitter.com/pd0Hhg1e3S

— TED-Ed (@TED_ED) June 4, 2019

Let's tessellate pic.twitter.com/HAXT4Q1j7k

— Quattro Bajeengan (@eechadz) September 21, 2020

still so bothered that circles cannot tessellate. sitting around in a dazed condition just thinking about it

— Natty (@nat_sharma) September 25, 2020

 

 

Try using tessellate!

Is tessellate used correctly in the following sentence?

The artist tessellated the images to create a continuous pattern with no end and no beginning.