mortar

[ mawr-ter ]

/ ˈmɔr tər /

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See synonyms for: mortar / mortared / mortaring on Thesaurus.com

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.

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Origin of mortar

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

mortality rate, mortality table, mortal mind, mortal sin, mortal sin/venial sin, mortar, mortarboard, mortgage, mortgage bond, mortgagee, mortgagee clause

Other definitions for mortar (2 of 2)

mortar²

[ 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

1250–1300; Middle English morter<Anglo-French; Old French mortiermortar¹, hence the mixture produced in it

OTHER WORDS FROM mortar

mor·tar·less, adjectivemor·tar·y, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mortar

cement, concrete, mortar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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|TechCrunch
Immediately 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-Science
If 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-Science
I used to teach out of a brick and mortar adult shop, but like so many small businesses during the pandemic, the shop closed.
Queer communities need COVID relief now|Rune Longoria|August 20, 2020|Washington Blade

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|DAILY BEAST
Then came the day Mustafa, along with two others, was killed by a mortar shell.
Drawing on the Memories of Syrian Women|Masha Hamilton|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Artillery and mortar duels all around the outskirts of Donetsk rumble angrily every day.
Should the U.S. Arm Ukraine’s Militias?|Jamie Dettmer|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Holding 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|DAILY BEAST
There, if his eyes did not deceive him, were evidences of mortar dislodged by nefarious toes.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
But 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. Harper
The 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 Perkins
In 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 Hartley
Get, 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

mortar

/ (ˈmɔːtə) /

noun

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

verb (tr)

to join (bricks or stones) or cover (a wall) with mortar

to fire on with mortars

Midland English dialect to trample (on)

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for mortar

mortar

[ môr′tər ]

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.

Other Idioms and Phrases with mortar

mortar

see bricks and mortar.

mortar

Origin of mortar

Words nearby mortar

Other definitions for mortar (2 of 2)

Origin of mortar

OTHER WORDS FROM mortar

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mortar

Words related to mortar

How to use mortar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mortar

Word Origin for mortar

Medical definitions for mortar

Other Idioms and Phrases with mortar