English Explanatory Dictionary

mortar

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A mixture of lime or cement, sand and water used for bonding building blocks.
  2. A hollow vessel used to pound, crush, rub, grind or mix ingredients with a pestle.
  3. A short, heavy, large-bore cannon designed for indirect fire at very steep trajectories.
  4. A relatively lightweight, often portable indirect fire weapon which transmits recoil to a base plate and is designed to lob explosive shells at very steep trajectories.
  5. In paper milling, a trough in which material is hammered.
verb
  1. To use mortar or plaster to join two things together.
  2. To pound in a mortar.
  3. To fire a mortar (weapon).
  4. To attack (someone or something) using a mortar (weapon).

Pronunciation

/ˈmɔːtə(ɹ)/ En-us-mortar.ogg

Word forms

mortar mortars morter mortaring mortared

Etymology

From Middle English morter, from Old French mortier, from Latin mortārium. Doublet of mortarium.

Synonyms

mortar and pestle pestle and mortar

Related words

bricks and mortar gun howitzer

Derived words

air mortar antimortar brick-and-mortar brick and mortar bricks-and-mortar clicks and mortar debris mortar diamond mortar life mortar lime mortar micromortar mortar and pestle mortarboard mortar hoe mortarless mortarlike mortarman mortary pestle and mortar trench mortar unmortared
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