masticate
[ mas-ti-keyt ]
/ ˈmæs tɪˌkeɪt /
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.
RELATED CONTENT
Fancy Words For Everyday ActivitiesHumming (is so boring) Yet, bombinating sounds much more interesting! This word may sound a bit like bumblebee, which is kind of neat as it means “to hum, or buzz.” First published in the late 1800s, bombinate and bombilate are twins with family-tree roots tangled in both Greek and Latin derivatives (confusing) that lead to the late Latin bombilāre, or “to hum.” Breathing (is so …
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- masterwort,
- mastery,
- masthead,
- mastic,
- masticable,
- mastication,
- masticatory,
- masticatory force,
- masticatory system,
- mastiff
Origin of masticate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for masticate
masticate
/ (ˈmæstɪˌkeɪt) /
verb
to chew (food)
to reduce (materials such as rubber) to a pulp by crushing, grinding, or kneading
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
masticate
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
masticate
[ măs′tĭ-kāt′ ]
v.
To chew food.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.