MORTAR

I. noun Etymology: Middle English morter, from Old English mortere & Anglo-French mortier, from Latin ~ium Date: before 12th century a sturdy vessel in which material is pounded or rubbed with a pestle, 2. \Middle French mortier] a muzzle-loading cannon having a tube short in relation to its caliber that is used to throw projectiles at high angles, any of several similar firing devices, II. noun Etymology: Middle English morter, from Anglo-French morter, mortier, from Latin ~ium Date: 14th century a plastic building material (as a mixture of cement, lime, or gypsum plaster with sand and water) that hardens and is used in masonry or plastering, ~less adjective III. transitive verb Date: 14th century to plaster or make fast with ~