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masticate

[mas-ti-keyt]
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verb (used with or without object), mas·ti·cat·ed, mas·ti·cat·ing.

to chew.
to reduce to a pulp by crushing or kneading, as rubber.

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RELATED WORDS

crunch, gnash, knead, chomp, grind, crush

Nearby words

  1. masterwort,
  2. mastery,
  3. masthead,
  4. mastic,
  5. masticable,
  6. mastication,
  7. masticatory,
  8. masticatory force,
  9. masticatory system,
  10. mastiff

Origin of masticate

1640–50; < Late Latin masticātus, past participle of masticāre to chew. See mastic, -ate1
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for masticate

British Dictionary definitions for masticate

masticate

verb

to chew (food)
to reduce (materials such as rubber) to a pulp by crushing, grinding, or kneading
Derived Formsmasticable, adjectivemastication, nounmasticator, noun

Word Origin for masticate

C17: from Late Latin masticāre, from Greek mastikhan to grind the teeth
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for masticate

masticate

v.

1640s, back-formation from mastication, or else from Late Latin masticatus, past participle of masticare "to chew." Related: Masticated; masticating.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for masticate

masticate

[măs′tĭ-kāt′]

v.

To chew food.
Related formsmas′ti•ca′tion n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.