tessellation

/ˌtɛsəˈleɪʃən/

Other forms: tessellations

Tessellation is a mosaic pattern, a design made of shapes fitted together. You could compliment your friend's newly tiled kitchen floor by saying, "What gorgeous tessellation!"

If you imagine a patchwork of tiles, or the patterns in a quilt, you're picturing one kind of tessellation. Another type is mathematical tessellation, which is closely related to the first kind — it's the geometric repetition of one shape over and over again. The Latin root word tessellatus describes something made of small stones or tiles.

Definitions of tessellation

1. noun

   the careful juxtaposition of shapes in a pattern
   “a tessellation of hexagons”

   type of:

   apposition, collocation, juxtaposition

   the act of positioning close together (or side by side)
2. noun

   the act of adorning with mosaic
   type of:

   decoration

   the act of decorating something (in the hope of making it more attractive)