noun · verb · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈmɔːtə(ɹ)/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)tə(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:M AO1 R T ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A mixture of lime or cement, sand and water used for bonding building blocks.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A hollow vessel used to pound, crush, rub, grind or mix ingredients with a pestle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: mortar and pestle, pestle and mortar
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A short, heavy, large-bore cannon designed for indirect fire at very steep trajectories.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, historical
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A relatively lightweight, often portable indirect fire weapon which transmits recoil to a base plate and is designed to lob explosive shells at very steep trajectories.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Topics: government, military, politics, war
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
In paper milling, a trough in which material is hammered.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
To use mortar or plaster to join two things together.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
verb
Meaning 7
To pound in a mortar.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
To fire a mortar (weapon).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
verb
Meaning 9
To attack (someone or something) using a mortar (weapon).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The insurgents snuck up close and mortared the base last night.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
noun
Meaning 10
a muzzle-loading high-angle gun with a short barrel that fires shells at high elevations for a short range
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: howitzer, trench mortar
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: high-angle gun
11
noun
Meaning 11
a bowl-shaped vessel in which substances can be ground and mixed with a pestle
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: vessel
12
noun
Meaning 12
used as a bond in masonry or for covering a wall
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: building material
13
verb
Meaning 13
plaster with mortar
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
mortar the wall
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: plaster, daub
History
Etymology
From Middle English morter, from Old French mortier, from Latin mortārium. Doublet of mortarium.
Across languages
Translations
338 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
mortier
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Arabic:
مِلَاط
(milāṭ)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Aramaic:
ܡܠܴܛܳܐ
(mlāṭā)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Armenian:
շաղախ
(šaġax)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Armenian:
կրաշաղախ
(krašaġax)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Middle Armenian:
կաղջին
(kaġǰin)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Old Armenian:
շաղախ
(šałax)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Old Armenian:
տաղախ
(tałax)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Asturian:
morteru
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Belarusian:
раство́р
(rastvór)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Bulgarian:
хороса́н
(horosán)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Catalan:
morter
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Catalan:
argamassa
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Chinese Mandarin:
灰泥
(huīní)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Chinese Mandarin:
砂漿 /砂浆
(shājiāng)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Czech:
malta
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Danish:
mørtel
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Dutch:
specie
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Dutch:
mortel
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Esperanto:
mortero
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Estonian:
mört
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Finnish:
laasti
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
French:
mortier
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Galician:
masa
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Galician:
argamasa
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Galician:
morteiro
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Galician:
brónica
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Galician:
recebo
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Galician:
cal
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Georgian:
კირდუღაბი
(ḳirduɣabi)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
German:
Mörtel
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
German:
Mauermörtel
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Greek:
κονίαμα
(koníama)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Hebrew:
מֶלֶט
(melet)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Hindi:
मसाला
(masālā)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Hungarian:
habarcs
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Hungarian:
malter
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Hungarian:
vakolat
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Ido:
mortero
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Indonesian:
mortar
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Indonesian:
spesi
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Irish:
moirtéal
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Italian:
malta
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Japanese:
モルタル
(morutaru)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Korean:
모르타르
(moreutareu)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Lao:
ປູນ
(pūn)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Latin:
mortārium
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Latvian:
java
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Lithuanian:
skiedinys
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Macedonian:
ма́лтер
(málter)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Maltese:
tajn tat-tikħil
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Norman:
mortchi
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Norwegian Bokmål:
mørtel
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Occitan:
mortièr
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Old English:
stānlīm
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Persian:
ملات
(malât)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Persian:
ساروج
(sâruj)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Polish:
zaprawa
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Portuguese:
argamassa
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Portuguese:
massa
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Portuguese:
reboco
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Romanian:
mortar
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Russian:
раство́р
(rastvór)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Serbo-Croatian:
малтер
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Serbo-Croatian:
морт
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Serbo-Croatian:
malter
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Serbo-Croatian:
mort
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Slovak:
malta
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Slovene:
malta
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Spanish:
mortero
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Spanish:
argamasa
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Swedish:
murbruk
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Tamil:
காரை
(kārai)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Thai:
ปูน
(bpuun)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Turkish:
harç
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Ottoman Turkish:
خرج
(harc)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Ottoman Turkish:
ملاط
(melât, milât)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Turkmen:
suwag
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Turkmen:
laý
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Ukrainian:
будіве́льний ро́зчин
(budivélʹnyj rózčyn)
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Vietnamese:
vữa
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Welsh:
morter
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water
Zazaki:
xerc
— mixture of lime or cement, sand and water