In ancient times mosaics were a form of floor decoration made of small pebbles and later of cut or shaped pieces of marble, hard stone, glass, terra-cotta, mother-of-pearl, and enamels. The shaped pieces, in the form of small cubes, are called tesserae. The tesserae are embedded in plaster, cement, or putty to hold them in place.
- mosaic [mɔˈzeiik] n.镶嵌工艺
- pebble [ˈpebl] n.鹅卵石
- marble [ˈmɑ:bl] n.大理石
- terra-cotta [ˈterəˈkɔtə] n.赤陶
- mother-of-pearl [ˌmʌðərəvˈpɜ:l] n.珍珠母
- cube [kju:b] n.立方体
- tessera [ˈtesərə] n.镶嵌物
- embed [imˈbed] v.镶嵌
- plaster [ˈplɑ:stə] n.石膏
- cement [siˈment] n.水泥
- putty [ˈpʌti] n.(嵌装玻璃等用的)油灰
- in place [in - pleis] adv.在适当的位置
