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Noun
In a mortar and pestle, mash the anchovies and garlic into a paste.—Katie Parla, Saveur, 30 Oct. 2025 Learn the art of making the perfect guacamole with a stone molcajete (traditional mortar and pestle) and zesty red and green salsas.—AFAR Media, 23 Oct. 2025 My technique with my dog is to grind the pill with a mortar and pestle until it is broken down, like fine sand.—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025 The automobile, mortar-and-pestle sign and other artifacts and specimens are considered collection items, which the museum will continue to care for.—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 30 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pestle
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English pestel, from Anglo-French, from Latin pistillum, from pinsere to pound, crush; akin to Greek ptissein to crush, Sanskrit pinaṣṭi he pounds
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