mortise

• mortice

From Middle English morteys, from Old French mortaise, from Arabic مورتاز‎ (murtazz, “fastened”), from راز‎ (razza, “to cut a recess”).

• enPR: môrtĭs, môrtəs, IPA^(key): /ˈmɔː(ɹ).tɪs/, /ˈmɔː(ɹ).təs/

mortise (plural mortises)

1. (woodworking) A hole that is made to receive a tenon so as to form a joint. [from 14th c.]
2. Stability; power of adhesion.

• mortise-and-tenon joint
• mortise gear
• mortise lock
• mortise wheel

mortise (third-person singular simple present mortises, present participle mortising, simple past and past participle mortised)

1. (transitive, woodworking) To cut a mortise in.
2. (transitive, woodworking) To join by a mortise and tenon.
3. (typography) To adjust the horizontal space between selected pairs of letters; to kern.

• erotism, moister, stormie, trisome