mortar

mortar
\ \ [13] Latin mortārium, a word of unknown origin, denoted both a ‘bowl for grinding’ and, by extension, the ‘substance made in such a bowl’. These twin meanings survived through Anglo-Norman morter into modern English mortar as the ‘bowl used with a pestle’ and a ‘building mixture of cement, sand, and water’. The shape of the former led in the 17th century to the word’s application to a ‘short cannon’. The use of mortarboard for a ‘square flat academic cap’ dates from the mid-19th century.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 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,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mortar — has several meanings: Mortar (masonry), material used in masonry to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together. Mortar (weapon) fires shells at a much lower velocity and higher ballistic arc than other ordnance. Mortar (firestop),… …   Wikipedia

  • mortar — MORTÁR, mortare, s.n. Material de construcţie constituit dintr un amestec de var, nisip, apă, ciment sau ipsos etc., care se foloseşte ca element de legătură între materiale de construcţie solide. – Din lat. mortarium. Trimis de ana zecheru,… …   Dicționar Român

  • mortar — ► NOUN 1) a mixture of lime with cement, sand, and water, used to bond bricks or stones. 2) a cup shaped receptacle in which substances are crushed or ground with a pestle. 3) a short cannon for firing shells at high angles. ► VERB 1) fix or bond …   English terms dictionary

  • mortar — [môrt′ər] n. [ME mortere < OE mortere & OFr mortier, both < L mortarium, mixing vessel or trough < IE * mṛtos, pulverized < base * mer , to rub: see MORBID] 1. a very hard bowl in which softer substances are ground or pounded to a… …   English World dictionary

  • Mortar — Mor tar, v. t. To plaster or make fast with mortar. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mortar — Mor tar, n. [F. mortier. See {Mortar} a vessel.] A chamber lamp or light. [Obs.] Chaucer. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mortar — index cement Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • mortar — {{11}}mortar (1) mixture of cement, late 13c., from O.Fr. mortier builder s mortar, plaster; bowl for mixing (13c.), from L. mortarium mortar, also crushed drugs, probably the same word as mortarium bowl for mixing or pounding (see MORTAR (Cf.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • mortar — mortar1 /mawr teuhr/, n. 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… …   Universalium

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