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⇱ mortise - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

mortise

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈmɔːtɪs/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈmɔrtɪs/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(môr′tis)

Inflections of 'mortise' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
mortises
v 3rd person singular
mortising
v pres p
mortised
v past
mortised
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
mor•tise or mor•tice /ˈmɔrtɪs/USA pronunciation   n., v., -tised, -tis•ing. 
n. [countable]
  1. Buildinga notch or slot made in a piece of wood or the like, esp. in a wall near a door to attach a lock.

v. [~ + object]
  1. Buildingto cut or form a mortise in.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
mor•tise  (môr′tis),USA pronunciation n., v., -tised, -tis•ing. 
n. 
  1. Buildinga notch, hole, groove, or slot made in a piece of wood or the like to receive a tenon of the same dimensions.
  2. Buildinga deep recess cut into wood for any of several other purposes, as for receiving a mortise lock.
  3. Printinga space cut out of a plate, esp. for the insertion of type or another plate.

v.t. 
  1. Buildingto secure with a mortise and tenon.
  2. Buildingto cut or form a mortise in (a piece of wood or the like).
  3. Buildingto join securely.
  4. [Print.]
    • Printingto cut metal from (a plate).
    • Printingto cut out metal from a plate and insert (new material) in its place.
Also, mortice. 
  • Anglo-French mortais(e), Old French mortoise, of obscure origin, originally
  • Middle English morteys, mortaise 1350–1400
mor′tis•er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
mortise, mortice /ˈmɔːtɪs/ n
  1. a slot or recess, usually rectangular, cut into a piece of wood, stone, etc, to receive a matching projection (tenon) of another piece, or a mortise lock
 vb (transitive)
  1. to cut a slot or recess in (a piece of wood, stone, etc)
  2. to join (two pieces of wood, stone, etc) by means of a mortise and tenon
Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French mortoise, perhaps from Arabic murtazza fastened in position
'mortise' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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