Meaning & use
mortice
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
A rectangular hole cut into one piece of wood so that a matching shaped end of another piece fits into it.
Grammar: Countable: you can talk about one mortice or several mortices.
Patterns
- cut a mortice
- a mortice and tenon joint
The carpenter cut a mortice in the door frame before fitting the lock.
The legs are joined to the tabletop with a mortice and tenon joint.
verbtransitivetechnical
To cut a rectangular hole in a piece of wood so that another part can be fitted into it.
Grammar: Takes an object: mortice the wood. Often used in the passive: the beam was morticed into the post.
Patterns
- mortice something into something
- mortice something for something
He morticed the beam so that the post would fit tightly.
The frame is morticed at the corners for extra strength.
Word forms
| plural | mortices |
|---|---|
| third person singular | mortices |
| past tense | morticed |
| past participle | morticed |
| -ing form | morticing |
Common combinations
- mortice and tenon joint
- The cabinet is held together by a mortice and tenon joint.
- cut a mortice
- You need to cut a mortice before you can insert the lock.
- mortice lock
- A mortice lock is set into the edge of the door rather than fixed to the surface.
- mortice chisel
- Use a mortice chisel to remove the waste wood neatly.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- mortise noun
- The American spelling of mortice.
Commonly confused: mortice or mortise?
mortice vs mortise
Mortise is the same word spelled the American way. Use mortice in British English and mortise in American English.
Practice
The carpenter cut a ______ in the door frame before fitting the lock.
Choose one answer.
A mortice is a rectangular hole cut in wood for a joint or lock. A mortgage is a loan for a house, a morsel is a small piece of food, and a mortuary is a place where dead bodies are kept.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mortice”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.