tesselates
Covers without gaps
Tesselates means to cover a surface with repeated shapes that fit together without gaps or overlaps, like tiles on a floor.
The term comes from geometry, where regular tessellation uses identical polygons—squares, triangles, hexagons—to fill a plane completely: The honeycomb pattern tessellates perfectly.
The spelling with one 's' (teselates) is less common but appears.
Pictures made from fragments
- patternsRecurring arrangements or designs
- inlayEmbedded surface ornamentation
- ceramicFired clay material
- flooringSurface underfoot material
backsplash · Moorish · Islamic · Alhambra · decorative · ornamental · glazed · grout
Flat covering pieces
- polygonsClosed plane figures
- hexagonsSix-sided closed figures
- trianglesThree-sided plane figures
- squaresFour-sided equal figures
pentagons · vertices · edges · plane · surface · grid · lattice · repeating
Wax matrix of hexagons
- basalt columnsPrismatic volcanic rock formations
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
- turtle shellReptile's bony covering
dragonfly wings · pineapple · corn kernels · giraffe pattern · cell walls · epidermis · compound eyes · crystal structure
- periodicOccurring at intervals
- hyperbolicExaggerated beyond reason
- proofDemonstration of truth
- theoremDemonstrated logical conclusion
transformation · rotation · reflection · translation · glide · regular · semiregular · substitution
mosaics
Pictures made from fragments
- patternsRecurring arrangements or designs
- inlayEmbedded surface ornamentation
- ceramicFired clay material
flooring · backsplash · Moorish · Islamic · Alhambra · decorative · ornamental · glazed · grout · opus
tiles
Flat covering pieces
squares · pentagons · vertices · edges · plane · surface · grid · lattice · repeating · interlocking
honeycomb
Wax matrix of hexagons
- basalt columnsPrismatic volcanic rock formations
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- carapaceProtective dorsal exoskeleton
turtle shell · dragonfly wings · pineapple · corn kernels · giraffe pattern · cell walls · epidermis · compound eyes · crystal structure · foam
Penrose
- periodicOccurring at intervals
- hyperbolicExaggerated beyond reason
- proofDemonstration of truth
theorem · transformation · rotation · reflection · translation · glide · regular · semiregular · substitution · fractal
tesselatesscatters
Distributes irregularly about
fragments · randomizes · jumbles · disorganizes · disperses