Definition of mortises:
(n) :
(woodworking) A hole that is made to receive a tenon so as to form a joint.
(v) :
(transitive, woodworking) To cut a mortise in.
(v) :
(transitive, woodworking) To join by a mortise and tenon.
(v) :
(typography) To adjust the horizontal space between selected pairs of letters; to kern.
(n) :
Stability; power of adhesion.