masticate
[ mas-ti-keyt ]
verb (used with or without object),mas·ti·cat·ed, mas·ti·cat·ing.
to chew.
to reduce to a pulp by crushing or kneading, as rubber.
Origin of masticate
1Other words from masticate
- mas·ti·ca·ble [mas-ti-kuh-buhl], /ˈmæs tɪ kə bəl/, adjective
- mas·ti·ca·tion [mas-ti-key-shuhn] /ˌmæs tɪˈkeɪ ʃən/ noun
- mas·ti·ca·tor, noun
- half-mas·ti·cat·ed, adjective
- re·mas·ti·cate, verb, re·mas·ti·cat·ed, re·mas·ti·cat·ing.
- un·mas·ti·cat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use masticate in a sentence
Water may be taken freely during mealtime; not, however, for the purpose of washing down half-masticated food.
Intestinal Ills | Alcinous Burton JamisonBut there are many to which half-masticated food is a real poison.
Noa extended his hand, and she gave him the half-masticated mass.
Tales of the Malayan Coast | Rounsevelle Wildman
British Dictionary definitions for masticate
masticate
/ (ˈmæstɪˌkeɪt) /
verb
to chew (food)
to reduce (materials such as rubber) to a pulp by crushing, grinding, or kneading
Origin of masticate
1C17: from Late Latin masticāre, from Greek mastikhan to grind the teeth
Derived forms of masticate
- masticable, adjective
- mastication, noun
- masticator, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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