masseter
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Vocabulary lists containing masseter
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
About 40 units are needed for the masseter muscles to help soothe teeth clenching.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 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
Internal aspect of skull, showing masseter, medial adductor, and temporal muscles.
From The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive Reptiles by Fox, Richard C.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
