mortise-and-tenon joint
- noun
- /ˈmɔːrtɪz ənd ˈtɛnən dʒɔɪnt/
- Specialized
:
unión de mortaja y espiga
- For this project, I decided to use a mortise-and-tenon joint for added durability in the frame construction.
- traditional mortise-and-tenon joint
Examples
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They'll take up any gaps in that mortise and Tenon joint and make sure it's tight.
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Each required 78 mortise and tenon joints as well as a series of complex glue-ups, which made gluing up a dovetailed case piece seem like child's play.
Blog text (28) -
The carpenter expertly fit the mortise-and-tenon joint to ensure a strong connection between the two pieces of wood.
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Using mortise-and-tenon joints is a traditional technique that allows for sturdy furniture that can last for generations.
Synonyms
A strong wooden joint where a peg from one piece fits into a hole in another
How Strong
- Specialized
1
6.6
- Specialized
- Specialized
5
6.5
- Specialized
1
5.8
- Specialized
1
6.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
mortise-and-tenon + joint
The phrase literally names a joint composed of a mortise (a receiving hole) and a tenon (a projecting tongue), so if a learner knows those technical constituents plus 'joint' the overall meaning is compositionally predictable. However 'mortise' and 'tenon' are specialist woodworking terms unlikely to be known at B1, and the expression is domain-specific rather than general, so it is not fully transparent to average learners.
Etymology
The noun mortise-and-tenon joint comes from old woodwork: a tenon, a short wooden tongue, fits into a mortise, a matching hole, so the two pieces lock together like a plug in a socket. That's why the name means a very 'strong' joint used in furniture and buildings.