masticate

[ mas-ti-keyt ]

See synonyms for: masticate masticated masticating mastication on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of masticate

First recorded in 1640–50; from Late Latin masticātus, past participle of masticāre “to chew”; see mastic, -ate¹

Other words from masticate

mas·ti·ca·ble [mas-ti-kuh-buhl], /ˈmæs tɪ kə bəl/, adjective
mas·ti·ca·tion [mas-ti-key-shuhn] /ˌmæs tɪˈkeɪ ʃən/ noun
mas·ti·ca·tor, noun
half-mas·ti·cat·ed, adjective
re·mas·ti·cate, verb, re·mas·ti·cat·ed, re·mas·ti·cat·ing.
un·mas·ti·cat·ed, adjective

Words Nearby masticate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use masticate in a sentence

Additionally, if preserving essential nutrients, vitamins, and enzymes is a must, then masticating juicers are the better choice.
Best juicer: All your homemade juicing needs are just a squeeze away | Irena Collaku | July 14, 2021 | Popular-Science
Remember, however, that the saliva aids the teeth greatly, especially when you masticate your food slowly.
Vegetable Diet: As Sanctioned by Medical Men, and by Experience in All Ages | William Andrus Alcott
The child will then have sixteen teeth with which it can properly masticate soft solid food.
The Physical Life of Woman: | Dr. George H Napheys
Next night eat one or two dry crackers; chew them slowly, masticate them thoroughly until you can swallow easily.
Think | Col. Wm. C. Hunter
Thoroughly masticate the food, and well salivate it before swallowing.
Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians | William K. David

I turn my back to the increasing warmth while trying to masticate a stringy piece of meat and some elastic-like bread.
'Neath Verdun, August-October, 1914 | Maurice Genevoix

British Dictionary definitions for masticate

masticate

/ (ˈmæstɪˌkeɪt) /

verb

to chew (food)
to reduce (materials such as rubber) to a pulp by crushing, grinding, or kneading

Origin of masticate

C17: from Late Latin masticāre, from Greek mastikhan to grind the teeth

Derived forms of masticate

masticable, adjective
mastication, noun
masticator, noun

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

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