mortise
English
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mortise
- /ˈmɔː(ɹ).tɪs/
- /ˈmɔː(ɹ).təs/
Rhymes with -ɔː(ɹ)təs
Where it comes from
From Middle English morteys, from Old French mortaise, from Arabic مُرْتَزّ (murtazz, “fastened”), from اِرْتَزَّ (irtazza).
noun mortises · mortice
- A hole that is made to receive a tenon so as to form a joint. If there is much gauging for the same size mortise and tenon to be done, and if a mortise gauge is not handy, a simple improvised gauge for the purpose can easily be made with two pieces of wood and four or five steel sprigs…
- Stability; power of adhesion.
verb mortises · mortising · mortised · mortice
- To cut a mortise in. A keyed mortise-and-tenon joint is constructed the same as a doweled mortise and tenon joint except that the tenon projects far enough through the mortise to admit the insertion of a tapering key which draws the mortised piece firmly against the shoulder of the tenon.
- To join by a mortise and tenon. Sculptures from Mohenjodaro and Tell Asmar in 2400 B.C. show wheels consisting of three pieces of wood mortised together, and bound with leather tyres which were attached with copper nails. These wheels turned in one piece with the axle, which was secured to the body of the sledge with leather thong
- To adjust the horizontal space between selected pairs of letters; to kern.
Translations
Talk about this word "mortise." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mortise. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. mortise. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mortise "mortise." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mortise.Cite this
@misc{mortise_2026,
title = {mortise},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mortise},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
