noun / verb
pestle
PESS-ul/ˈpesl/
A club-shaped tool for grinding or pounding in a mortar, or to use this tool.
The stone pestle rests among partly crushed peppercorns in the matching mortar.
Etymology
The Latin ancestor meant a pounder: the tool is named for its action of pounding and breaking materials. That same function survives in its use with a mortar.
In context
You can do it in a mortar and pestle, but I think this is actually better to grind them yourself.
More examples
- He pestles the garlic into a smooth paste.
- The pharmacist uses a pestle to crush the tablet.
- Wooden pestles are lighter than stone ones.
Forms
pestle · pestles · pestled · pestling
Similar words
- pounder
- A more general tool for crushing by repeated blows.
- grinder
- Often uses blades or burrs rather than a mortar.