mortar
UK[ˈmɔːtə(r)]US[ˈmɔːrtər]
n
A mixture of sand, water, and cement or lime used in building to hold bricks or stones together.
n
A short, heavy cannon with a low muzzle velocity, used to fire shells at high angles over short distances.
n
A hard bowl in which substances are crushed or ground into powder with a pestle.
Morpheme Breakdown
mort
ar
mort
substance
ar
instrument/agent suffix
Etymology
The word 'mortar' has a concrete origin in the material world, tracing back to the Latin mortarium, which referred to a bowl used for grinding or mixing substances. This dual sense of the container and its contents is preserved in English, where 'mortar' names both the crushing bowl and the building paste mixed within a similar vessel. The military sense for a short cannon emerged in the late 17th century, based on the weapon's resemblance in shape to the pharmacist's mortar. Thus, the word's journey connects the ancient tool for preparation and construction to its modern, specialized applications in building, chemistry, and warfare.
Analysis
Structure: mort (substance) + ar (instrument/agent suffix)
- mort: From Latin mortarium, meaning "bowl for mixing or pounding" and also "receptacle for mixing mortar." The Latin root is related to the process of grinding or mixing.
- ar: A suffix of Latin origin (often -arium) used to form nouns denoting a thing connected with or employed for the function of the base word, here indicating an instrument or vessel.
Examples
The bricklayer applied fresh mortar between the stones.
The soldiers fired a mortar round at the enemy position.
She ground the spices to a fine paste using a mortar and pestle.