One of humanity's oldest technologies with one of etymology's most mysterious origins — the mortise joint dates to 7,000 years ago but its word origin remains debated.
A hole or recess cut into a piece of wood or stone to receive a corresponding projection (tenon) from another piece, forming a joint.
From Old French mortaise, possibly from Arabic murtazz meaning fixed in place, or from a pre-Roman source Key roots: mortaise (Old French: "socket, mortise (uncertain deeper origin)").
The mortise and tenon joint is one of the oldest woodworking techniques known — examples have been found in ancient Egyptian furniture dating to 3100 BCE and in Neolithic European structures over 7,000 years old. The technique predates metal nails by millennia and remains the strongest wood joint available.