lesung noun English. A mortar, esp. for pounding rice in. Cultural Note. The local mortar is a horizontally oriented log, 33-50 cm. in diameter, ca 1 m long with a ca. 25 cm. diameter hole 20 cm deep for the commodity to be pounded. Example sentence: Subanen. Bengelay mu sug lesung, pu' megbayu ita. English. Put the props under the mortar, and let's pound rice. c.f. elu