mortise
Americannoun
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a notch, hole, groove, or slot made in a piece of wood or the like to receive a tenon of the same dimensions.
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a deep recess cut into wood for any of several other purposes, as for receiving a mortise lock.
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Printing. a space cut out of a plate, especially for the insertion of type or another plate.
verb (used with object)
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mortises,
present (3rd person singular)
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mortised,
past participle, past
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mortising
present participle
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to secure with a mortise and tenon
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to cut or form a mortise in (a piece of wood or the like).
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to join securely.
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Printing.
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to cut metal from (a plate).
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to cut out metal from a plate and insert (new material) in its place.
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noun
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a slot or recess, usually rectangular, cut into a piece of wood, stone, etc, to receive a matching projection (tenon) of another piece, or a mortise lock
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printing a cavity cut into a letterpress printing plate into which type or another plate is inserted
verb
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to cut a slot or recess in (a piece of wood, stone, etc)
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to join (two pieces of wood, stone, etc) by means of a mortise and tenon
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to cut a cavity in (a letterpress printing plate) for the insertion of type, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mortisesimple
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mortisessimple
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have mortisedperfect
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has mortisedperfect
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am mortisingprogressive
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are mortisingprogressive
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is mortisingprogressive
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have been mortisingperfect progressive
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has been mortisingperfect progressive
Past
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mortisedsimple
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had mortisedperfect
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was mortisingprogressive
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were mortisingprogressive
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had been mortisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mortise
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English morteys, mortaise, from Anglo-French mortais(e), Old French mortoise; of obscure origin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If not, then you may have to set the hinge plate deeper in its mortise.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2020
Woodwork with mortise and tenon joints, original and restored hardware and tile-faced fireplaces are found throughout the nearly 6,000 square feet of living space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2020
There are two basic types of latches: tubular and mortise.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2019
Thick hand-hewn oak beams connected with slotted and tabbed mortise and tenon joints provide the bones of the building, which has deliberately been left unfurnished to showcase its construction.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 19, 2015
Iron rod threaded through three rusted loops, old mortise lock with a rusty cam.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
The wheel, however, should be designed so that the mortises will not terminate in the arms of the wheel.
From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Joshua Rose
Clamp all four pieces on a flat surface with the bottom ends even, then lay out the mortises for the rails and panels on all four pieces at once with a try-square.
From Mission Furniture How to Make It, Part 2 by H. H. (Henry Haven) Windsor
The top back board has a tenon on each end that fits into the mortises in the back posts and is rounded at the top as shown.
From Mission Furniture How to Make It, Part 2 by H. H. (Henry Haven) Windsor
All the mortises and diamond shaped openings should be marked and cut with a chisel from both sides of the board.
From Mission Furniture How to Make It, Part 2 by H. H. (Henry Haven) Windsor
If the wood shrinks, or the tenons do not fit the mortises all through, or the glue is deficient, these various portions speedily come to pieces.
From British Manufacturing Industries Pottery, Glass and Silicates, Furniture and Woodwork. by L. Arnoux
There was the strange commercial released by his loyal sponsor Nike, in which a rigor mortised Mr. Woods received counsel from the disembodied voice of his late father, Earl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2010
Smoothly mortised and joined by Director Ted Tetzlaff and Producer Frederic Ullman Jr., The Window emerges as a fast little thriller full of grade A qualities.
From Time Magazine Archive
These cross-bars should be carefully mortised into the frame as shown in the small diagram in center of figure three.
From Woodcraft by E. H. (Elmer Harry) Kreps
There are mortised into this longitudinal beam the lower ends of upper posts three palms wide and two thick, which are six feet two palms high, exclusive of their tenons.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
From the upright timber near the upper small cross-beam, which at its other end is mortised into the crane-post, are two mortised bars.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
The strips are crossed at the corners of the boxes by mortising each piece one half of its depth at the proper place—one from above and the other from below—and dovetailing the cross pieces together.
From Type Cases and Composing-room furniture by A. A. Stewart
McGuire brought with him two carpet-bags, a marlin spike and a common mortising chisel.
From Bucholz and the Detectives by Allan Pinkerton
I did not progress as fast as a carpenter would have done with his mortising chisel, or a cooper with his breast-bit or auger; but I had the gratification of knowing that I was progressing.
From The Boy Tar by Edward Read
After this the chiseling out or mortising can be proceeded with.
From The Repairing & Restoration of Violins 'The Strad' Library, No. XII. by Horace Petherick
At present, mortising and dowelling have come to the front as proper processes, especially for table-building; and this time the style appears under the name of "Mission furniture."
From Principles of Home Decoration With Practical Examples by Candace Wheeler
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