A mortar is a big gun which fires missiles high into the air over a short distance.
The two sides exchanged fire with artillery, mortars and small arms.
He was killed in a mortar attack.
2. uncountable noun
Mortar is a mixture of sand, water, and cement or lime which is put between bricks to hold them together.
3. countable noun
A mortar is a bowl in which you can crush things such as herbs, spices, or grain using a rod called a pestle.
4. bricks and mortar
mortar in British English
(ˈmɔːtə)
noun
1.
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
2.
a muzzle-loading cannon having a short barrel and relatively wide bore that fires low-velocity shells in high trajectories over a short range
3.
a similar device for firing lifelines, fireworks, etc
4.
a vessel, usually bowl-shaped, in which substances are pulverized with a pestle
5. mining
a cast-iron receptacle in which ore is crushed
verb(transitive)
6.
to join (bricks or stones) or cover (a wall) with mortar
7.
to fire on with mortars
8. English Midlands dialect
to trample (on)
Word origin
C13: from Latin mortārium basin in which mortar is mixed; in some senses, via Old French mortier substance mixed inside such a vessel
mortar in American English
(ˈmɔrtər)
noun
1.
a very hard bowl in which softer substances are ground or pounded to a powder with a pestle
2.
any machine in which materials are ground or pounded
3.
a short-barreled cannon with a low muzzle velocity, which hurls shells in a high trajectory
4.
any of various similar devices, for shooting lifelines, flares, etc.
5.
a mixture of cement or lime with sand and water, used between bricks or stones tobind them together in building, or as plaster
verb transitive
6.
to plaster or bind together with mortar
7.
to attack with mortar shells
Word origin
ME mortere < OE mortere & OFr mortier, both < L mortarium, mixing vessel or trough < IE *mṛtos, pulverized < base *mer-, to rub: see morbid; (sense 3) Fr mortier; (sense 5) ME morter < MFr mortier < L mortarium, a mixture of sand and lime: so called from the vessel in which it was made
In other languages
mortar
British English: mortar /ˈmɔːtə/ NOUN
cannon A mortar is a short cannon which fires shells high into the air for a short distance.
Mortars were still exploding.
American English: mortar military
Arabic: مِدْفَعُ هَاوِنْ
Brazilian Portuguese: morteiro
Chinese: 迫击炮
Croatian: mužar
Czech: minomet
Danish: morter
Dutch: mortier
European Spanish: mortero
Finnish: kranaatinheitin
French: mortier militaire
German: Mörser Geschütz
Greek: όλμος
Italian: mortaio
Japanese: 臼砲 military
Korean: 박격포
Norwegian: bombekaster
Polish: wojsko
European Portuguese: morteiro
Romanian: obuzier
Russian: миномет
Latin American Spanish: mortero
Swedish: granatkastare
Thai: ปืนใหญ่ขนาดเล็ก
Turkish: havan topu
Ukrainian: міномет
Vietnamese: súng cối
British English: mortar /ˈmɔːtə/ NOUN
for buildingMortar is a mixture of sand, water, and cement, which is put between bricks to make them stay firmly together.