Noun: mortise mor-tis
- A square hole made to receive a tenon and so to form a joint
"The carpenter carefully chiseled out the mortise to fit the tenon";
- mortice
- Cut a hole for a tenon in
"He mortised the wood to create a strong joint";
- mortice
- Join by a tenon and mortise
"The woodworker mortised the table legs to the tabletop";
- mortice
Derived forms: mortises, mortising, mortised
Part of: mortise joint, mortise-and-tenon joint
Encyclopedia: Mortise