mortar
1
[ mawr-ter ]
/ ˈmɔr tər /
noun
a receptacle of hard material, having a bowl-shaped cavity in which substances are reduced to powder with a pestle.
any of various mechanical appliances in which substances are pounded or ground.
a cannon very short in proportion to its bore, for throwing shells at high angles.
some similar contrivance, as for throwing pyrotechnic bombs or a lifeline.
verb (used with or without object)
to attack with mortar fire or shells.
Origin of mortar
1
before 1000; Middle English, Old English
mortere and Old French
mortier < Latin
mortārium;
(defs 3, 4) translation of French
mortier < Latin, as above; see
-ar2
Words nearby mortar
Definition for mortar (2 of 2)
mortar
2
[ mawr-ter ]
/ ˈmɔr tər /
noun
a mixture of lime or cement or a combination of both with sand and water, used as a bonding agent between bricks, stones, etc.
any of various materials or compounds for bonding together bricks, stones, etc.: Bitumen was used as a mortar.
verb (used with object)
to plaster or fix with mortar.
Origin of mortar
2
1250–1300; Middle English
morter < Anglo-French; Old French
mortier
mortar1, hence the mixture produced in it
OTHER WORDS FROM mortar
mor·tar·less, adjective mor·tar·y, adjectiveExample sentences from the Web for mortar
British Dictionary definitions for mortar
mortar
/ (ˈmɔːtə) /
noun
verb (tr)
Word Origin for mortar
C13: from Latin
mortārium basin in which mortar is mixed; in some senses, via Old French
mortier substance mixed inside such a vessel
Medical definitions for mortar
mortar
[ môr′tər ]
n.
A vessel in which drugs or other substances are crushed or ground with a pestle.
A machine in which materials are ground and blended or crushed.
Idioms and Phrases with mortar
mortar
see bricks and mortar.