MORTAR


Meaning of MORTAR in English

/ ˈmɔːtə(r); NAmE ˈmɔːrt-/ noun , verb

■ noun

1.

[ U ] a mixture of sand, water, lime and cement used in building for holding bricks and stones together

2.

[ C ] a heavy gun that fires bombs and shells high into the air; the bombs that are fired by this gun :

to come under mortar fire / attack

3.

[ C ] a small hard bowl in which you can crush substances such as seeds and grains into powder with a special object (called a pestle )

IDIOMS

see brick noun

■ verb

[ v , vn ] to attack sb/sth using a mortar

••

WORD ORIGIN

noun senses 2 to 3 and verb late Old English (in sense 3), from Old French mortier , from Latin mortarium (to which the English spelling was later assimilated).

noun sense 1 Middle English : from Old French mortier , from Latin mortarium , probably a transferred sense of the word denoting a container.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.