masticatory

[mas-ti-kuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or used in or for mastication.

noun

plural

masticatories 

1. Pharmacology.,  a medicinal substance to be chewed, as to promote the secretion of saliva.

masticatory

/ -trɪ, ˈmæstɪkətərɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or adapted to chewing

noun

1. obsolete,  a medicinal substance chewed to increase the secretion of saliva

Other Word Forms

• unmasticatory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of masticatory¹

From the New Latin word masticātōrius, dating back to 1605–15. See masticate, -tory ¹

Example Sentences

And rotifers also have a specialized masticatory apparatus -- "teeth" -- that the team hypothesized could grind microplastics into smaller particles.

Read more on Science Daily

Intriguingly, roasting meat actually increased the masticatory force required.

Read more on Economist

Homo erectus, the first hominin to even begin to approach modern humans in stature, brain size and masticatory apparatus, appeared around 1.5 million years earlier than that.

Read more on Nature

That’s an entire month spent not chewing — presumably enough to explain the reduction in tooth size and masticatory muscle mass of H. erectus compared with earlier, more masticatory species, as well as the increase in brain size allowed by the release of more nutrients.

Read more on Nature

One sign that cooking shaped our ancestors’ genomes as well as our guts is that humans, Neandertals, and Denisovans all have lost a masticatory myosin gene, MYH16, that helps build strong chewing muscles in the jaws of chimps.

Read more on Science Magazine