masticate
/ˈmastɪkeɪt
/verb [with object]
Chew (food): dentition affects how well food is masticated and absorbed [no object]: try to masticate slowly...
- They do not have the molars that humans use for masticating their food and it is impossible for them to keep their mouths shut while chewing.
- Perhaps change in molar structure reflects subtle changes in food habits to softer, more easily masticated foods, but with no significant shift in other niche requirements as might be reflected in changing tooth and hence body size.
- Food is masticated between horny plates located on each jaw.
Synonyms
chew, munch, champ, chomp, crunch, eat;
ruminate, chew the cud
technical manducate, triturate
rare chumble
Derivatives
mastication
/ noun ...- Every exposed power cord in our apartment bears telltale toothmarks from her enthusiastic fits of mastication.
- Whilst waiting for my teeth to be fixed and the resumption of normal mastication, I've been eating a lot of soft instant meals.
- He gave a few speculative mastications, possibly thinking the ball was a bird's egg or a milk chocolate.
masticator
/ noun ...- All you other masticators out there know exactly what I'm saying here.
- Computed tomography revealed a benign-appearing dense soft tissue mass within the right masticator space.
- It is expressed in cat masticator muscle and has been considered to be superfast.
masticatory
/ adjective ...- The botched banquet is a mortifying experience, and in my time I have served squid cooked until it had the texture, nutritional value and masticatory pleasure of a big rubber band.
- During growth, the masticatory system, as a static-lever apparatus, retains its initial characteristics of force transfer, despite the considerable changes in skull shape.
- Usually, muscle properties described for the leg muscles are used, and although the type of tissue is similar it is unclear how these properties in the leg muscles relate to those in the masticatory muscles.
Origin
Mid 17th century (earlier (Middle English) as mastication): from late Latin masticat- 'chewed', from the verb masticare, from Greek mastikhan 'gnash the teeth' (related to masasthai 'to chew').