noun

mortar

MAW-tuh

noun

A paste of sand, water and cement or lime used to bond bricks or stones together.

"The bricklayer spread a thin layer of mortar before setting each brick."

"Years of rain had eaten away at the mortar between the stones."

A small bowl used with a pestle to crush or grind ingredients.

"She ground the peppercorns in a stone mortar."

"The pharmacist mixed the powder using a mortar and pestle."

A short-barreled weapon that fires shells high into the air to hit targets at a steep angle.

"The camp came under mortar fire just before dawn."

"Soldiers set up the mortar behind the ridge."

verb

To attack a target by firing mortar shells at it.

"Enemy positions were mortared throughout the night."

How to Use Mortar

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe stuff that holds bricks together, a bowl for grinding, or a weapon that lobs shells — context makes it clear which.

Common pairings

mortar and pestle bricks and mortar mortar fire mortar shell

Word Forms

mortared past tense, mortars plural, mortars singular

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The bricklayer spread a thin layer of _____ before setting each brick.

Etymology

From Old French mortier, from Latin mortarium — the same word originally covered both the grinding bowl and, later, the building paste and the weapon, all linked by the idea of "pounding" or "mixing".