In architecture, an abacus is a flat slab forming the uppermost member or division of the capital of a column, above the bell. Its chief function is to provide a large supporting surface, tending to be wider than the capital, as an abutment to receive the weight of the arch or the architrave above. The diminutive of abacus, abaculus, is used to describe small mosaic tiles, also called abaciscus or tessera, used to create ornamental floors with detailed patterns of chequers or squares in a tessellated pavement.
A tessera is an individual tile, usually formed in the shape of a cube, used in creating a mosaic. It is also known as an abaciscus or abaculus.
The Boarmiini are a large tribe of geometer moths in the Ennominae subfamily.
Abaciscus is a genus of moth in the family Geometridae.
Abaciscus stellifera is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae. It was described by entomologist William Warren (entomologist) in 1896, originally under the name Enantiodes stellifera. It is known from the north-eastern Himalaya.
Abaciscus atmala is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae. It was described by Charles Swinhoe in 1894. It is known from the north-eastern Himalaya, Burma, Siberut Island and Borneo.
Abaciscus shaneae is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae. It was described by Jeremy Daniel Holloway in 1993. It is known from Borneo.
Abaciscus lutosus is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae. It was described by Jeremy Daniel Holloway in 1993. It is known from Borneo.
Abaciscus paucisignata is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae. It was described by Warren in 1899. It is known from Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.
Abaciscus costimacula is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae. It was described by Alfred Ernest Wileman in 1912. It is known from Taiwan, China, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.
Abaciscus figlina is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae. It was described by Swinhoe in 1890. It is known from the Himalaya and Burma.
Abaciscus intractabilis is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1864. It is known from Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.
Abaciscus tristis is a species of moth belonging to the family Geometridae, and the type species of the genus Abaciscus. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1889. It is known from the Himalaya, western and southern China, Taiwan and Borneo.
Tristis is a Latin word meaning "sad" or "foul smelling", often used as the specific epithet of a binomial name.
Geoffrey Gordon is an American composer of classical music.
