tessellate

verb

tes·​sel·​late ˈte-sə-ˌlāt How to pronounce tessellate (audio)
tessellated; tessellating

transitive verb

: to form into or adorn with mosaic

Examples of tessellate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The gallery is part of the fun, too, decked out in a riotous, tessellating wallpaper of musical homages and studded with golden geometric structures. Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2024 That work’s reflective walls cause the piece’s five screens to tessellate across the space, confusing the eye. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 12 July 2024 The palatial decor feels of a place, including the black-and-white, checkerboard tiling that tessellates throughout the property, which also has a lovely spa with water views. Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 9 July 2024 There is not so much a split screen as a tessellating one. Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024 Tonight, Wong is wearing the closing look from Iris van Herpen’s fall 2023 couture show: a black-and-white gabardine and satin column dress covered in tessellating florals that crawl up a tulle illusion mock neck. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 24 Feb. 2024 Gardner reported that the classification of all tessellating convex polygons had been completed by a 1968 proof that claimed to have found the remaining convex pentagons that tile the plane. Quanta Magazine, 11 July 2017 Streaks of rose gold exactly match my Aperol spritz, and sunset tessellates a path all the way to shore. Frances Mayes, National Geographic, 11 July 2019 Black walls and thick charcoal carpet were brightened by tessellating series of slim white stripes, while the door and closet popped in bright chartreuse. Debra Kamin, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2018

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin tessellatus, past participle of tessellare to pave with tesserae, from Latin tessella, diminutive of tessera

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tessellate was in 1789

Dictionary Entries Near tessellate

Cite this Entry

“Tessellate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tessellate. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!