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View synonyms for

mortar

1

[mawr-ter]

noun

  1. a receptacle of hard material, having a bowl-shaped cavity in which substances are reduced to powder with a pestle.

  2. any of various mechanical appliances in which substances are pounded or ground.

  3. a cannon very short in proportion to its bore, for throwing shells at high angles.

  4. some similar contrivance, as for throwing pyrotechnic bombs or a lifeline.



verb (used with or without object)

  1. to attack with mortar fire or shells.

mortar

2

[mawr-ter]

noun

  1. a mixture of lime or cement or a combination of both with sand and water, used as a bonding agent between bricks, stones, etc.

  2. any of various materials or compounds for bonding together bricks, stones, etc..

    Bitumen was used as a mortar.

verb (used with object)

  1. to plaster or fix with mortar.

mortar

/ ˈɔːə /

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

“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

verb

  1. to join (bricks or stones) or cover (a wall) with mortar

  2. to fire on with mortars

  3. dialectto trample (on)

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • mortarless adjective
  • mortary adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mortar1

before 1000; Middle English, Old English mortere and Old French mortier < Latin ǰܳ; mortar 1 ( defs. 3, 4 ) translation of French mortier < Latin, as above; -ar 2

Origin of mortar2

1250–1300; Middle English morter < Anglo-French; Old French mortier mortar 1, hence the mixture produced in it
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Word History and Origins

Origin of mortar1

C13: from Latin ǰܳ basin in which mortar is mixed; in some senses, via Old French mortier substance mixed inside such a vessel
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Idioms and Phrases

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"You can feel the intensity of Russian assaults increasing. Rockets, mortars, drones, they're using everything they have to cut off supply routes going into the city," says Serhii.

From

While the old Leitch architecture gave the Goodison Park structure something unique, it also possesses something bricks and mortar simply cannot provide.

From

The brand still exists online, but what remains of the hundreds of bricks and mortar shops that were once dotted across the UK?

From

But from the artillery position we heard the sounds of continuous explosions – incoming and outgoing mortar fire - evidence that there was no ceasefire in the trenches and on the frontlines.

From

In the village, two homes had been torn apart by mortars.

From

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mortal sin/venial sinmortarboard