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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

mor·tise also mor·tice       (môr'tĭs)  Pronunciation Key  (click for larger image in new window) n.   A usually rectangular cavity in a piece of wood, stone, or other material, prepared to receive a tenon and thus form a joint. Printing A hole cut in a plate for insertion of type. tr.v.   mor·tised also mor·ticed, mor·tis·ing also mor·tic·ing, mor·tis·es also mor·tic·es To join or fasten securely, as with a mortise and tenon. To make a mortise in. Printing To cut a hole in (a plate) for the insertion of type. To cut such a hole and insert (type). [Middle English mortaise, from Old French, perhaps from Arabic murtazz, fastened, from irtazza, to be fixed (in place), derived stem of razza, to fix, insert; see rzz in Semitic roots.]

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
mortise 

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

mortise
noun
1.	a square hole made to receive a tenon and so to form a joint
verb
1.	cut a hole for a tenon in
2.	join by a tenon and mortise [syn: mortice]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Mortise

Gear\, n. [OE. gere, ger, AS. gearwe clothing, adornment, armor, fr. gearo, gearu, ready, yare; akin to OHG. garaw[=i], garw[=i] ornament, dress. See Yare, and cf. Garb dress.]

1. Clothing; garments; ornaments.

Array thyself in thy most gorgeous gear. --Spenser.

2. Goods; property; household stuff. --Chaucer.

Homely gear and common ware. --Robynson (More's Utopia).

3. Whatever is prepared for use or wear; manufactured stuff or material.

Clad in a vesture of unknown gear. --Spenser.

4. The harness of horses or cattle; trapping.

5. Warlike accouterments. [Scot.] --Jamieson.

6. Manner; custom; behavior. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

7. Business matters; affairs; concern. [Obs.]

Thus go they both together to their gear. --Spenser.

8. (Mech.) (a) A toothed wheel, or cogwheel; as, a spur gear, or a bevel gear; also, toothed wheels, collectively. (b) An apparatus for performing a special function; gearing; as, the feed gear of a lathe. (c) Engagement of parts with each other; as, in gear; out of gear.

9. pl. (Naut.) See 1st Jeer (b) .

10. Anything worthless; stuff; nonsense; rubbish. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] --Wright.

That servant of his that confessed and uttered this gear was an honest man. --Latimer.

Bever gear. See Bevel gear.

Core gear, a mortise gear, or its skeleton. See Mortise wheel, under Mortise.

Expansion gear (Steam Engine), the arrangement of parts for cutting off steam at a certain part of the stroke, so as to leave it to act upon the piston expansively; the cut-off. See under Expansion.

Feed gear. See Feed motion, under Feed, n.

Gear cutter, a machine or tool for forming the teeth of gear wheels by cutting.

Gear wheel, any cogwheel.

Running gear. See under Running.

To throw in, or out of, gear (Mach.), to connect or disconnect (wheelwork or couplings, etc.); to put in, or out of, working relation.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Mortise

Mor"tise\, n. [F. mortaise; cf. Sp. mortaja, Ar. murtazz fixed, or W. mortais, Ir. mortis, moirtis, Gael. moirteis.] A cavity cut into a piece of timber, or other material, to receive something (as the end of another piece) made to fit it, and called a tenon.

Mortise and tenon (Carp.), made with a mortise and tenon; joined or united by means of a mortise and tenon; -- used adjectively.

Mortise joint, a joint made by a mortise and tenon.

Mortise lock. See under Lock.

Mortise wheel, a cast-iron wheel, with wooden clogs inserted in mortises on its face or edge; -- also called mortise gear, and core gear.