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.
Origin of mortar
1
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
Definition 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
2
1250–1300; Middle English morter<Anglo-French; Old French mortiermortar1, hence the mixture produced in it
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.
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Immediately transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, and grind to a medium-coarse powder.
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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.
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I used to teach out of a brick and mortar adult shop, but like so many small businesses during the pandemic, the shop closed.
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For brick and mortar businesses, Google reviews is the primary platform for working with customer feedback.
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Of such incompatibles is compounded the mortar of his art work.
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Then came the day Mustafa, along with two others, was killed by a mortar shell.
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Artillery and mortar duels all around the outskirts of Donetsk rumble angrily every day.
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When Louise and Bibi returned to their home, they found it strewn with ammunition and pockmarked with mortar craters.
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Holding the architectural smorgasbord of a castle together was cement, wire, and mortar.
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In the find of the oculist Severus is a bronze dish which Deneffe regards as a mortar.
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The birds are cleaned, and put in a mortar, together with other medicinal ingredients.
Omens and Superstitions of Southern India|Edgar Thurston
By the discharge of the mortar a barbed shot was to be flung on to the wreck, with a line attached to the shot.
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With two long embankments of brick and mortar he bound its bed.
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Equipment shortages included surgical instruments and mortar and pestles for pulverizing the crude drugs.
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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
mininga 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 Englishdialectto 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