Tessera

UK: /ˈtɛsərə/ US: (tes′ər ə)

Inflections of 'tessera' (n): npl: tesserae

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

tes•ser•a  (tes′ər ə), n., pl. tes•ser•ae 

(tes′ə rē′). 
1. one of the small pieces used in mosaic work.
2. Antiquity a small square of bone, wood, or the like, used in ancient times as a token, tally, ticket, etc.

• Greek (Ionic) tésseres four
• Latin
• 1640–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tessera / ˈtɛsərə/ noun ( -serae / -səˌriː/)

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

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin, from Ionic Greek tesseres four

ˈtesseral adjective