A vessel with rounded interior in which crude drugs and other substances are crushed or bruised by means of a pestle. [L. mortarium]
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mor·tar 'mȯrt-ər n a strong vessel in which material is pounded or rubbed with a pestle
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mor·tar (morґtər) [L. mortarium] a bell-shaped or urn-shaped vessel of glass, iron, porcelain, or other material, in which drugs are beaten, crushed, or ground with a pestle.Medical dictionary. 2011.