~ 1
■ noun
1》 a short smooth-bore gun for firing bombs at high angles.
2》 a cup-shaped receptacle in which ingredients are crushed or ground in cooking or pharmacy.
■ verb attack or bombard with bombs fired from a ~.
Origin
OE, from OFr. mortier , from L. ~ium .
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~ 2
■ noun a mixture of lime with cement, sand, and water, used in building to bond bricks or stones.
■ verb fix or join using ~.
Derivatives
~less adjective
Origin
ME: from OFr. mortier , from L. ~ium , prob. a transferred sense of the word denoting a container (see ~ 1 ).