manducate

American  

[man-joo-keyt] / ˈmæn dʒʊˌkeɪt /

verb (used with object)

Archaic.

manducated, manducating

1. to chew; masticate; eat.

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manducate British  

/ ˈmændjʊˌkeɪt /

verb

1. literary (tr) to eat or chew

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Other Word Forms

• manducable adjective
• manducation noun
• manducatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of manducate

1615–25; < Latin mandūcātus, past participle of mandūcāre to chew, eat, derivative of mandūcus glutton; -ate ¹

Explanation

When you manducate carrots, you chew them. Your stiff, formal grandmother might instruct you to manducate your food more slowly. Use the verb manducate when you need a formal word for eating. Horses manducate mouthfuls of hay and little kids who are new to trick-or-treating might want to manducate each piece of candy as it's dropped in their treat bag on Halloween. While chew is a far more common word than manducate, even masticate is used more often. Manducate is rooted in the Latin manducat-, "chewed," from mandere, "to chew."

Example Sentences

Be not these the words of Christ, 'Accipite, manducate?'

From Notes and Queries, Number 187, May 28, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Bell, George

Related Words

• bite
• chomp
• gnaw
• nibble