pestle
pestles; pestled; pestling
A pestle is a heavy, blunt tool used to grind things up, such as spices or herbs. If you're grinding spices, you put them in a container called a mortar and use the pestle to smash them up until they're finely ground.
The mortar and pestle was originally used by pharmacists to grind substances for medical use. Because they are sold together as sets and are always used together, many people aren't sure which is the mortar and which is the pestle. The origin of pestle is the Latin word pistillum, which means "pounder." This can help you remember that the pestle is the pounder. Also, pistillum looks like pistol, which is also held in the hand.
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a club-shaped hand tool for grinding and mixing substances in a mortar
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type of:
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hand tool
a tool used with workers' hands
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hand tool
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a heavy tool of stone or iron (usually with a flat base and a handle) that is used to grind and mix material (as grain or drugs or pigments) against a slab of stone
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machine consisting of a heavy bar that moves vertically for pounding or crushing ores
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grind, mash or pulverize in a mortar
Vocabulary lists containing pestle
After a birthday gift brings magic to eleven-year-old Willodeen and her friend Connor, Willodeen goes on a mission to protect her favorite strange beasts known as screechers.
In the third book in the Chronicles of Prydain series, Taran must save Eilonwy from the evil Queen Achren.
During the influenza epidemic of 1919, Rachel's guardians send her to England to impersonate their daughter and claim her inheritance.
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