Pestle

/ˈpɛsəl/ · noun

Meaning

A club-shaped, round-headed stick used in a mortar to pound, crush, rub or grind things..

Definitions by Sense

1. A club-shaped, round-headed stick used in a mortar to pound, crush, rub or grind things.
2. (archaic) A constable's or bailiff's staff; so called from its shape.
3. The leg and leg bone of an animal, especially of a pig.
4. (transitive) To pound, crush, rub or grind, as in a mortar with a pestle.

Example Sentences

She then sat down by the fire, and carefully separated the stone from the pulp, which she burnt; and her next task was to extract the kernel, which she did by means of a heavy pestle and the hearth. The kernels were next crushed together, and placed to simmer over the furnace.

[…]whether the chopping-knife or their pestles were the better weapons

a pestle of pork

‘Next time, boy, that you use that mortar for garlic, I will personally knock out your brain, place it in the said mortar, pestle it to a fine paste and give it to Dick Purser for feeding the dogs.’

Synonyms for pestle

Antonyms for pestle

Related Words

Word Forms

• pestles
• pestling
• pestled

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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