Morticing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The method of shaping a material to fit another part precisely involves creating a cavity for assembly
2. It refers to the technique utilized in carpentry for joining pieces by hollowing out recesses
3. A technique that involves cutting a slot or cavity into one piece so another piece can fit securely into it

Etymology: Morticing is the present participle of "mortice", the English spelling of the joinery term now more commonly written "mortise". The word that matters is the base noun, which names the cavity itself: the slot cut into a piece of wood, stone or metal so that a matching projection, called the tenon, can slide into it and lock the two pieces together. Cutting that slot is the activity the verb describes, so "morticing" is simply the act of making a mortise. Because the verb is formed directly from the noun, its history is that of the noun. The spelling "mortice" is an older variant that survives alongside "mortise" in British usage, which is why the same craft can be written two ways depending on the source.

Synonyms: joining, fitting, constructing, fastening, binding