mortar > define
noun
- A muzzle-loading high-angle gun with a short barrel that fires shells at high elevations for a short range.
- synonyms: howitzer, trench mortar
- Used as a bond in masonry or for covering a wall.
- A bowl-shaped vessel in which substances can be ground and mixed with a pestle.
verb
- Plaster with mortar.
- usage: "mortar the wall"
by WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
- (v.t.) To plaster or make fast with mortar.
- (n.) A short piece of ordnance, used for throwing bombs, carcasses, shells, etc., at high angles of elevation, as 45Á, and even higher; -- so named from its resemblance in shape to the utensil above described.
- (n.) A chamber lamp or light.
- (n.) A strong vessel, commonly in form of an inverted bell, in which substances are pounded or rubbed with a pestle.
- (n.) A building material made by mixing lime, cement or plaster of Paris, with sand, water, and sometimes other materials; -- used in masonry for joining stones, bricks, etc., also for plastering, and in other ways.
by Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(DoD) A muzzle-loading, indirect fire weapon with either a rifled or smooth bore. It usually has a shorter range than a howitzer, employs a higher angle of fire, and has a tube with a length of 10 to 20 calibers. See also gun; howitzer.
by Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. 31 January 2011.