mortar

Where it comes from

Mortar ordinarily means a material used to bind bricks or stones; also a short artillery weapon. English mortar came through French and Old English forms from Latin mortarium, a vessel for pounding or mixing and also material prepared in one. The Latin word's still deeper origin is uncertain. The name moved from a mixing bowl to masonry material prepared in such a vessel.

How the meaning developed

A short, wide-mouthed cannon was later called a mortar because its shape resembled the bowl; the modern high-angle weapon inherited that name.