mortar

n. a mixture of sand, water, and cement used to stick bricks or stones together.

n. a workable paste used to bind building blocks such as stones, bricks, and concrete masonry units together.

“The builder applied a fresh layer of mortar between the red bricks.”

“The restoration team had to source a specific lime-based mortar to match the original eighteenth-century masonry of the cathedral walls.”

n. a hard bowl used with a heavy tool called a pestle to crush spices or medicine into powder.

n. a sturdy vessel in which substances are crushed or ground with a pestle.

“She used a stone mortar to grind the garlic and herbs into a paste.”

“The pharmacist used a ceramic mortar and pestle to pulverise the tablets into a fine powder for the compound.”

Technical

n. a short, portable gun that fires explosive shells high into the air so they fall down on a target.

n. a muzzle-loading indirect fire weapon that transmits recoil to a base plate and fires shells at high angles.

“The soldiers set up the mortar behind the hill to hide from the enemy.”

“The infantry unit deployed a lightweight mortar to provide immediate indirect fire support during the mountain operation.”

Technical

v. to attack a place using mortar weapons.

v. to bombard a target with mortar shells. Transitive when used with a direct object.

“The enemy started to mortar the city at midnight.”

“The retreating forces continued to mortar the bridgehead in an attempt to delay the advancing columns.”

Technical