masseter

American  

[ma-see-ter] / mæˈsi tər /

noun

Anatomy.

1. a short, thick, masticatory muscle, the action of which assists in closing the jaws by raising the mandible or lower jaw.

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masseter British  

/ mæˈsiːtə /

noun

1. anatomy a muscle of the cheek used in moving the jaw, esp in chewing

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Other Word Forms

• masseteric
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of masseter

1660–70; < New Latin < Greek massētḗr, variant of masētḗr chewer, masseter, equivalent to masē-, variant stem of masâsthai to chew + -tēr agentive suffix

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

masseter

Even though it's not routinely offered on the NHS, Ella decided to pay her dentist to inject Botox into her masseter muscles - the ones that control her jaw.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

He did neck exercises and chewed extra-firm gum that he’d seen looksmaxxers claim would help build the jawline’s masseter muscles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

There was also evidence of an evolutionary connection between the extramandibular fat and the masseter muscle, which in humans connects the lower jawbone to the cheekbones and is a key muscle involved in chewing.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 8, 2024

The rise of processed foods — beginning with the invention of canning in the early 1800s — softened diets to the point that the masseter muscles barely had to do any work when chewing.

From New York Times ● Aug. 20, 2020

Closure or Fixation of the Mandible.—Temporary fixation is due to spasmodic contraction of the muscles of mastication, particularly the masseter.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles

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