tête-bêche


tête-bêche

T0129300 (tĕt′bĕsh′)adj. Of, relating to, or being a pair of similar objects or images arranged such that one is upside down in relation to the other: a tête-bêche pair of postage stamps.
[French : tête, head (from Old French teste, from Late Latin testa, skull; see tester1) + bêche (short for obsolete béchevet, double head of a bed, from Old French : bes-, twice from Latin bis; see bis + chevet, from Late Latin capitium, opening for the head in a tunic, from Latin, head covering, from caput, capit-, head; see triceps).]
tête′-bêche′ adv.

tête-bêche

(tɛtˈbɛʃ) adj (Philately) philately (of an unseparated pair of stamps) printed so that one is inverted in relation to the other[C19: from French, from tête head + bêche, from obsolete béchevet double-headed (originally of a bed)]

tête-bêche

(tɛtˈbɛʃ)

adj. of or pertaining to a pair of stamps that have been printed with one stamp inverted. [1870–75; < French, =tête head + bêche, reduced from béchevet placed with the head of one against the foot of the other]