LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

tessella

tessella f (genitive tessellae)

Meaning

  1. feminineA small cube of stone used for paving

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativetessellatessellae
genitivetessellaetessellārum
dativetessellaetessellīs
accusativetessellamtessellās
ablativetessellātessellīs
vocativetessellatessellae

tessella, ae, f. dim. tessera,
I. a small square piece of stone, a little cube, for pavements, etc., Sen. Q. N. 6, 31, 2; Juv. 11, 132; Plin. 37, 10, 54, § 144; 17, 16, 26, § 120; Inscr. Oreil. 4316.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷetwóres
  2. Proto-Hellenic*kʷétwores
  3. Latintessella

Ancient Greek τέσσαρες (téssares)bor. Latin tessera Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -la Latin tessella From tessera (“die, cube, square tablet”) + -la (diminutive suffix).

Descendants
  • Catalantessel·la
  • Old Englishtasul
  • Old Englishtesul

Quick answers

What does tessella mean in Latin?
tessella, a noun, means “A small cube of stone used for paving”.
What is the genitive of tessella?
The genitive singular is tessellae. tessella is feminine, first declension.
Where does tessella come from?
Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres → Proto-Hellenic *kʷétwores → Latin tessella.