mortar
1a 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.
to attack with mortar fire or shells.
Origin of mortar
1Words Nearby mortar
Other definitions for mortar (2 of 2)
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.
to plaster or fix with mortar.
Origin of mortar
2Other words from mortar
- mor·tar·less, adjective
- mor·tar·y, adjective
Words that may be confused with mortar
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mortar in a sentence
With the pandemic closing or limiting access to brick and mortar stores, personalization has taken a new urgency as customers are increasingly shopping online and companies need to meet them where they are.
SAP continues to build out customer experience business with Emarsys acquisition | Ron Miller | October 1, 2020 | TechCrunchImmediately transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, and grind to a medium-coarse powder.
Turn a cheap chicken dinner into a Turkish street-food getaway | SAVEUR Editors | September 25, 2020 | Popular-ScienceIf you don’t have a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, you can swap in 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 teaspoon ground coriander for the spice mix.
Turn a cheap chicken dinner into a Turkish street-food getaway | SAVEUR Editors | September 25, 2020 | Popular-ScienceI used to teach out of a brick and mortar adult shop, but like so many small businesses during the pandemic, the shop closed.
For brick and mortar businesses, Google reviews is the primary platform for working with customer feedback.
How to turn your customer feedback into a driving force for your product | Maria Kazakova | June 18, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
Of such incompatibles is compounded the mortar of his art work.
Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness | Ronald K. Fried | December 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThen came the day Mustafa, along with two others, was killed by a mortar shell.
Artillery and mortar duels all around the outskirts of Donetsk rumble angrily every day.
When Louise and Bibi returned to their home, they found it strewn with ammunition and pockmarked with mortar craters.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis | Nina Strochlic | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHolding the architectural smorgasbord of a castle together was cement, wire, and mortar.
The Postman Who Built a Palace in France…by Hand | Nina Strochlic | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThere, if his eyes did not deceive him, were evidences of mortar dislodged by nefarious toes.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. LockeBut the fury of the dabblers in bricks and mortar continues unabated, and they will not last long.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries | Charles G. HarperThe Purbeck marble slab has never been disturbed, being found strongly secured by mortar to the top of the stone coffin.
Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey | Thomas PerkinsIn the absence of a mortar, a basin plunged into another containing boiling water will answer the purpose.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence HartleyGet, at a druggist's, half an ounce of each of these articles, and have them mixed and pounded together in a mortar.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley
British Dictionary definitions for mortar
/ (ˈmɔːtə) /
a mixture of cement or lime or both with sand and water, used as a bond between bricks or stones or as a covering on a wall
a muzzle-loading cannon having a short barrel and relatively wide bore that fires low-velocity shells in high trajectories over a short range
a similar device for firing lifelines, fireworks, etc
a vessel, usually bowl-shaped, in which substances are pulverized with a pestle
mining a cast-iron receptacle in which ore is crushed
to join (bricks or stones) or cover (a wall) with mortar
to fire on with mortars
Midland English dialect to trample (on)
Origin of mortar
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with mortar
see bricks and mortar.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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