ˈmʌlɚ ˈpɛsəl ˈpɛsəl stæmp grind, mash or pulverize in a mortar pestle the garlic a club-shaped hand tool for grinding and mixing substances in a mortar a heavy tool of stone or iron (usually with a flat base and a handle) that is used to grind and mix material (as grain or drugs or pigments) against a slab of stone machine consisting of a heavy bar that moves vertically for pounding or crushing ores