mortise
Americannoun
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a notch, hole, groove, or slot made in a piece of wood or the like to receive a tenon of the same dimensions.
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a deep recess cut into wood for any of several other purposes, as for receiving a mortise lock.
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Printing. a space cut out of a plate, especially for the insertion of type or another plate.
verb (used with object)
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mortises,
present (3rd person singular)
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mortised,
past participle, past
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mortising
present participle
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to secure with a mortise and tenon
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to cut or form a mortise in (a piece of wood or the like).
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to join securely.
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Printing.
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to cut metal from (a plate).
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to cut out metal from a plate and insert (new material) in its place.
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noun
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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
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printing a cavity cut into a letterpress printing plate into which type or another plate is inserted
verb
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to cut a slot or recess in (a piece of wood, stone, etc)
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to join (two pieces of wood, stone, etc) by means of a mortise and tenon
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to cut a cavity in (a letterpress printing plate) for the insertion of type, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mortisesimple
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mortisessimple
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have mortisedperfect
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has mortisedperfect
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am mortisingprogressive
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are mortisingprogressive
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is mortisingprogressive
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have been mortisingperfect progressive
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has been mortisingperfect progressive
Past
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mortisedsimple
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had mortisedperfect
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was mortisingprogressive
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were mortisingprogressive
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had been mortisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mortise
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English morteys, mortaise, from Anglo-French mortais(e), Old French mortoise; of obscure origin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If not, then you may have to set the hinge plate deeper in its mortise.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 18, 2020
Woodwork with mortise and tenon joints, original and restored hardware and tile-faced fireplaces are found throughout the nearly 6,000 square feet of living space.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 24, 2020
There are two basic types of latches: tubular and mortise.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2019
Thick hand-hewn oak beams connected with slotted and tabbed mortise and tenon joints provide the bones of the building, which has deliberately been left unfurnished to showcase its construction.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 19, 2015
Iron rod threaded through three rusted loops, old mortise lock with a rusty cam.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
I—Timber joined in the mortises of the posts.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
If the wood shrinks, or the tenons do not fit the mortises all through, or the glue is deficient, these various portions speedily come to pieces.
From British Manufacturing Industries Pottery, Glass and Silicates, Furniture and Woodwork. by L. Arnoux
It has a capacity to work mortises from 3⁄4′′ to 3′′ square, and 5′′ in depth, and any length desired.
From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Joshua Rose
Table Complete The shelf should be finished on the top side and the four edges, and the corners cut out to fit the mortises in the table legs.
From Mission Furniture How to Make It, Part 2 by H. H. (Henry Haven) Windsor
This insures getting the mortises all the same height.
From Mission Furniture How to Make It, Part 2 by H. H. (Henry Haven) Windsor
There was the strange commercial released by his loyal sponsor Nike, in which a rigor mortised Mr. Woods received counsel from the disembodied voice of his late father, Earl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2010
Smoothly mortised and joined by Director Ted Tetzlaff and Producer Frederic Ullman Jr., The Window emerges as a fast little thriller full of grade A qualities.
From Time Magazine Archive
The house which stood among the mists was of squared timbers, mortised and fitted.
From The Land of Strong Men by A. M. (Arthur Murray) Chisholm
It was far stronger than the one in the galley cabin, and had been set within the wood and mortised so that only a small, flat keyhole showed.
From The Ice Pilot by Henry Leverage
The upper ends of these posts are mortised into an upper longitudinal beam, which lies close under the rafters of the building; this upper longitudinal beam is two palms wide and one thick.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
His machines, and subsequent improvements by others, for boring, mortising and turning, display wonderful ingenuity.
From Inventions in the Century by William Henry Doolittle
To overcome this difficulty the latest types of mortising machines have a square hole-boring attachment fixed alongside the chain.
From Woodwork Joints How they are Set Out, How Made and Where Used. by William Fairham
This will necessitate care in mortising and tenoning the side rails so as to get good fits for the shoulders The bevel square will be needed in laying out the shoulders of the tenons.
From Mission Furniture How to Make It, Part 2 by H. H. (Henry Haven) Windsor
The strips are crossed at the corners of the boxes by mortising each piece one half of its depth at the proper place—one from above and the other from below—and dovetailing the cross pieces together.
From Type Cases and Composing-room furniture by A. A. Stewart
I did not progress as fast as a carpenter would have done with his mortising chisel, or a cooper with his breast-bit or auger; but I had the gratification of knowing that I was progressing.
From The Boy Tar by Edward Read
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
