mor ‧ tise BrE AmE , mortice /ˈmɔːtəs, ˈmɔːtɪs $ ˈmɔːr-/ noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: mortaise , perhaps from Arabic murtazz 'fixed in' ]
technical a hole cut in a piece of wood or stone so that the shaped end of another piece will fit there firmly ⇨ tenon