Tessonnière (en. Shard)

/tɛsɔnijɛʁ/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench
noun
An area of land where pottery shards are found.
Archaeologists discovered a tessonnière rich in ancient remains.
Les archéologues ont découvert une tessonnière riche en vestiges anciens.
A place where shards are collected for various uses.
Potters often go to the tessonnière to collect materials.
Les potiers se rendent souvent à la tessonnière pour collecter des matériaux.

Etymology

From the word 'tesson', which designates a piece of pottery.

Common Phrases and Expressions

to be in the tessonnière
To be in a difficult or complicated situation.
être dans la tessonnière
to make a tessonnière
To throw pottery pieces around in a disorderly manner.
faire une tessonnière

Related Words

tesson
A piece of broken pottery or glass.
tesson
tesson-de-terre
Poorly fertile land where shards are found.
tesson-de-terre

Slang Meanings

To evoke a difficulty in a social context.
This party has become a real tessonnière, everyone is confused.
Cette fête est devenue une vraie tessonnière, tout le monde est confus.
To have a neglected appearance.
He left his house in a tessonnière, hair unkempt.
Il est sorti de chez lui en tessonnière, les cheveux en bataille.