mas·ti·cate

[mas-ti-keyt]
verb (used with object), verb (used without object), mas·ti·cat·ed, mas·ti·cat·ing.
1.
to chew.
2.
to reduce to a pulp by crushing or kneading, as rubber.

Origin:
1640–50; < Late Latin masticātus, past participle of masticāre to chew. See mastic, -ate1

mas·ti·ca·ble [mas-ti-kuh-buhl] , adjective
mas·ti·ca·tion, 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.
re·mas·ti·ca·tion, noun
un·mas·ti·cat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To mastication
00:10
Mastication is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Collins
World English Dictionary
masticate (ˈmæstɪˌkeɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  to chew (food)
2.  to reduce (materials such as rubber) to a pulp by crushing, grinding, or kneading
 
[C17: from Late Latin masticāre, from Greek mastikhan to grind the teeth]
 
'masticable
 
adj
 
masti'cation
 
n
 
'masticator
 
n

masticate (ˈmæstɪˌkeɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  to chew (food)
2.  to reduce (materials such as rubber) to a pulp by crushing, grinding, or kneading
 
[C17: from Late Latin masticāre, from Greek mastikhan to grind the teeth]
 
'masticable
 
adj
 
masti'cation
 
n
 
'masticator
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

mastication
1560s, from L. masticationem (nom. masticatio), from masticare "to chew" (cf. O.Fr. maschier, Fr. mâcher), probably from Gk. mastikhan "to gnash the teeth," related to mastax "mouth, jaws," and masasthai "to chew," from PIE *menth- "to chew, mouth" (cf. L. mandere "to chew," Goth. munþs,
O.E. muð "mouth").

masticate
1640s, from L.L. masticat-, pp. stem of masticare (see mastication). Related: Masticated; masticating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

masticate mas·ti·cate (mās'tĭ-kāt')
v. mas·ti·cat·ed, mas·ti·cat·ing, mas·ti·cates
To chew food.


mas'ti·ca'tion n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Mastication effort is less important than the size of the material being masticated.
Mechanical mastication of shrubs and small trees has become a popular method of fuels management.
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