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Noun
Jaws lined with sharp dagger-like teeth were most likely associated with carnivores, while others set with the dental equivalent of mortar and pestles likely ground plant matter into digestible food.—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025 Combine with the mortar and pestle and add the oil in a thin stream.—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 May 2025 It was traditionally made using a mortar and pestle.—Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2025 Though the work of making the spice paste is traditionally done in a mortar and pestle, blitzing the ingredients in a food processor saves a significant amount of time.—Vicky Hallett, NPR, 1 Apr. 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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