# mortar

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmɔːtə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #10,406

## Definitions
1. A mixture of lime or cement, sand and water used for bonding building blocks.
2. A hollow vessel used to pound, crush, rub, grind or mix ingredients with a pestle.
3. A short, heavy, large-bore cannon designed for indirect fire at very steep trajectories.
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.
5. In paper milling, a trough in which material is hammered.

## Etymology
From Middle English morter, from Old French mortier, from Latin mortārium. Doublet of mortarium.

## Easily confused with
- **motor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mortar-vs-motor)
- **Morty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mortar-vs-morty)
- **Morton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mortar-vs-morton)
- **Morten** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mortar-vs-morten)
- **mortuary** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mortar-vs-mortuary)
- **mora** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mora-vs-mortar)
- **mort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mort-vs-mortar)
- **moral** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moral-vs-mortar)
- **Moran** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moran-vs-mortar)
- **Marta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/marta-vs-mortar)
- **moray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moray-vs-mortar)
- **molar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/molar-vs-mortar)
- **Moria** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moria-vs-mortar)
- **morgan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/morgan-vs-mortar)
- **mortal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mortal-vs-mortar)
- **martyr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/martyr-vs-mortar)
- **Mordor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mordor-vs-mortar)

## Common misspellings (9)
`mmortar`, `moratr`, `morrtar`, `mortarr`, `mortra`, `morttar`, `motrar`, `mrotar`, `omrtar`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mortar