What does mortar mean?
A mortar is a mixture of cement or lime, sand, and water used to bind bricks and stones in masonry. In a kitchen or laboratory, the same word can mean a heavy bowl in which ingredients are crushed and ground with a pestle. In military terminology, a mortar is a short artillery weapon that launches a projectile at a high angle; the word may also refer to the shell it fires. These distinct meanings share a long history: the word comes through Old French from the Latin mortarium, originally a vessel in which substances were pounded. Today, “mortar” is most immediately associated with construction, where it fills the joints between bricks or stones, but it remains useful for understanding older expressions such as “mortar and pestle.” Its range of meanings illustrates how ordinary domestic and building objects can become specialized tools or weapons.
A mixture of cement or lime, sand, and water used to bind bricks, stones, or other building materials.
"The worker applied mortar to the joints between the stones."
Usually refers to the material itself; in British English, “mortar” can also mean the trade or work of laying bricks or stones with this mixture.
A bowl or vessel in which substances are ground or crushed with a pestle.
"The seeds were reduced to a paste in a mortar."
Commonly used in the established phrase “mortar and pestle.”
A short artillery piece that fires a projectile at a high angle.
"The battery included several heavy mortars."
This is a military or historical sense.
A projectile or shell fired by a mortar.
"The explosion of the mortar shook the nearby buildings."
This military sense is less common than the weapon sense.
The plural is used for individual construction mixtures or containers, for artillery weapons, and, in the military sense, for projectiles.
"The workers mixed several batches of mortar."
From a single word for an ancient grinding bowl, “mortar” grew into the material that holds a wall together and the artillery piece that fires into the sky.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mortar come from?
The English word entered Middle English through Old French mortier from the Latin mortarium, meaning a vessel in which substances were pounded or crushed. The original sense developed into the modern grinding bowl and later became associated with the mixture used in masonry. The military meaning, for a short artillery weapon, emerged through the word’s broader history of referring to a vessel or receptacle into which something was fired or discharged.
Related word forms
How mortar is actually used
In construction, the word commonly refers to the workable binding material rather than to the act of applying it. The grinding sense is often paired with “pestle,” while the military senses are technical and refer respectively to the weapon and its ammunition.
Easily confused with mortar
A mortarboard is a flat academic cap, whereas a mortar is a binding mixture, a grinding bowl, or a type of artillery.
Mother means a parent or the originator of something, while mortar refers to construction material, a grinding vessel, or artillery.