Adjacent Words

Mortar definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MOR'TAR, n. [L. mortarium.]
1. A vessel of wood or metal in form of an inverted bell, in which substances are pounded or bruised with a pestle.
2. A short piece of ordnance, thick and wide, used for throwing bombs, carcasses,shells, etc.; so named from its resemblance in shape to the utensil above described.
MOR'TAR, n. A mixture of lime and sand with water, used as a cement for uniting stones and bricks in walls. If the lime is slaked and the materials mixed with lime water, the cement will be much stronger.
Mort d'ancestor. In law, a writ of assize, by which a demandant recovers possession of an estate from which he has been ousted, on the death of his ancestor.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a muzzle-loading high-angle gun with a short barrel that fires shells at high elevations for a short range [syn: mortar, howitzer, trench mortar]
2: used as a bond in masonry or for covering a wall
3: a bowl-shaped vessel in which substances can be ground and mixed with a pestle v
1: plaster with mortar; "mortar the wall"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English morter, from Old English mortere & Anglo-French mortier, from Latin mortarium Date: before 12th century 1. a sturdy vessel in which material is pounded or rubbed with a pestle 2. [Middle French mortier] a. a muzzle-loading cannon having a tube short in relation to its caliber that is used to throw projectiles at high angles b. any of several similar firing devices II. noun Etymology: Middle English morter, from Anglo-French morter, mortier, from Latin mortarium Date: 14th century a plastic building material (as a mixture of cement, lime, or gypsum plaster with sand and water) that hardens and is used in masonry or plastering • mortarless adjective III. transitive verb Date: 14th century to plaster or make fast with mortar

Britannica Concise

Short-range artillery piece with a short barrel and low muzzle velocity that fires an explosive projectile in a high-arched trajectory. Large mortars were used against fortifications and in siege operations from medieval times through World War I. Since 1915, small portable models have been standard infantry weapons, especially for mountain or trench warfare. Medium mortars, with a caliber of about 3-4 in. (70-90 mm), a range of up to about 2.5 mi (4 km), and a bomb weight of up to 11 lbs (5 kg), are now widely used..Material used in building construction to bond brick, stone, tile, or concrete blocks into a structure. The ancient Romans are credited with its invention. Mortar consists of sand mixed with cement and water. The resulting substance must be sufficiently flexible to flow slightly but not collapse under the weight of the masonry units. Before the 19th-cent. invention of portland cement, masons used thin joints of lime mortar, which required greater precision than the thicker joints of portland-cement mortar and were not as strong. For tilework, a very thin mortar called grout is used. Pointing is the process of finishing a masonry joint.

U.S. Military Dictionary

A muzzle-loading, indirect fire weapon with either a rifled or smooth bore. It usually has a shorter range than a howitzer, employs a higher angle of fire, and has a tube with a length of 10 to 20 calibers. See also gun; howitzer.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a mixture of lime with cement, sand, and water, used in building to bond bricks or stones. 2 a short large-bore cannon for firing shells at high angles. 3 a contrivance for firing a lifeline or firework. 4 a vessel made of hard material, in which ingredients are pounded with a pestle. --v.tr. 1 plaster or join with mortar. 2 attack or bombard with mortar shells. Derivatives: mortarless adj. (in sense 1). mortary adj. (in sense 1). Etymology: ME f. AF morter, OF mortier f. L mortarium: partly from LG

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mortar Mor"tar, n. [OE. mortier, F. mortier, L. mortarium mortar, a large basin or trough in which mortar is made, a mortar (in sense 1, above). See 1st Mortar.] (Arch.) A building material made by mixing lime, cement, or plaster of Paris, with sand, water, and sometimes other materials; -- used in masonry for joining stones, bricks, etc., also for plastering, and in other ways. Mortar bed, a shallow box or receptacle in which mortar is mixed. Mortar board. (a) A small square board with a handle beneath, for holding mortar; a hawk. (b) A cap with a broad, projecting, square top; -- worn by students in some colleges. [Slang]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mortar Mor"tar, n. [OE. morter, AS. mort[=e]re, L. mortarium: cf. F. mortier mortar. Cf. sense 2 (below), also 2d Mortar, Martel, Morter.] 1. A strong vessel, commonly in form of an inverted bell, in which substances are pounded or rubbed with a pestle. 2. [F. mortier, fr. L. mortarium mortar (for trituarating).] (Mil.) A short piece of ordnance, used for throwing bombs, carcasses, shells, etc., at high angles of elevation, as 45[deg], and even higher; -- so named from its resemblance in shape to the utensil above described. Mortar bed (Mil.), a framework of wood and iron, suitably hollowed out to receive the breech and trunnions of a mortar. Mortar boat or vessel (Naut.), a boat strongly built and adapted to carrying a mortar or mortars for bombarding; a bomb ketch. Mortar piece, a mortar. [Obs.] --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mortar Mor"tar, v. t. To plaster or make fast with mortar.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mortar Mor"tar, n. [F. mortier. See Mortar a vessel.] A chamber lamp or light. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(mortars) 1. A mortar is a big gun which fires missiles high into the air over a short distance. He was killed in a mortar attack. N-COUNT 2. Mortar is a mixture of sand, water, and cement or lime which is put between bricks to hold them together. 3. A mortar is a bowl in which you can crush things such as herbs, spices, or grain using a rod called a pestle. N-COUNT 4. bricks and mortar: see brick

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(Heb. homer), cement of lime and sand (Gen. 11:3; Ex. 1:14); also potter's clay (Isa. 41:25; Nah. 3:14). Also Heb. 'aphar, usually rendered "dust," clay or mud used for cement in building (Lev. 14:42, 45).

Mortar for pulverizing (Prov. 27:22) grain or other substances by means of a pestle instead of a mill. Mortars were used in the wilderness for pounding the manna (Num. 11:8). It is commonly used in Palestine at the present day to pound wheat, from which the Arabs make a favourite dish called kibby.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mor'-ter (medhokhah (Nu 11:8), makhtesh (Pr 27:22)): A hollowed stone or vessel in which grain or other substance was pounded or beaten with a pestle. The Israelites used a mortar in which to beat the manna in the wilderness (Nu 11:8), and Pr 27:22 declares, "Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar with a pestle .... yet will not his foolishness depart from him," i.e. it is inherent and ineradicable. Some have supposed an allusion to an oriental mode of punishment by pounding the criminal to death in a mortar, but this is unlikely. In illustration of Pr 27:22 such proverbs are quoted as "Though you beat that loose woman in a mortar, she will not leave her ways." See also BRAY. For "mortar" (the King James Version "morter").

See BITUMEN.

James Orr

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Piece of ordnance for throwing bombs, mortar-piece. 2. Cement.

Moby Thesaurus

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