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mortar
1[ mawr-ter ]
/ ˈmɔr tər /
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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
1before 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
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
21250–1300; Middle English morter<Anglo-French; Old French mortiermortar1, hence the mixture produced in it
OTHER WORDS FROM mortar
mor·tar·less, adjectivemor·tar·y, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use mortar in a sentence
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
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 ]
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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Other Idioms and Phrases with mortar
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.