mastication

American  

[mas-ti-key-shuhn] / ˌmæs tɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of chewing.

   Limited ability to open the mouth may make proper mastication of food more difficult.

2. the act or process of grinding, shredding, crushing, or kneading to a pulp: A machine with two horizontal rolls revolving in opposite directions is used for the mastication of rubber.

   In the office he could hear the soft chatter of people on their phones, the steely mastication of a paper shredder, the thwack of a coffee mug being set down.

   A machine with two horizontal rolls revolving in opposite directions is used for the mastication of rubber.

3. Forestry. the act or process of grinding up small trees and brush in a forest in order to thin it out or reduce the fuel available to forest fires.

   The remains of mastication and chipping are left on the forest floor, forming a mulch to protect the soil from compaction and erosion.

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Usage

What does mastication mean? Mastication is a technical word for the act of chewing. Mastication is the noun form of the verb masticate, meaning to chew or, less commonly, to reduce to a pulp by crushing or kneading, as is done in the rubber-making process. Mastication is almost always used in a scientific or technical context. In the everyday context of eating, people usually just say chewing. Example: Saliva is released from glands under the tongue to aid in the process of  mastication.

Other Word Forms

• remastication noun

Etymology

Origin of mastication

First recorded in 1400–50; from Late Latin masticātiōn-, stem of masticātiō “act of chewing,” equivalent to Latin masticāre + iō -ion ( def. ); masticate ( def. )

Example Sentences

The group’s goal is to get the park to do more thinning, mastication and biomass removal, which they hope will reduce the risk of sequoias dying in both prescribed burns and wildfires.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2023

The "Saturn's ring" region — that's what we Cookies call the space in between our edges and our centers — should be distinctly chewy, a clenched tightness that elicits some mastication.

From Salon • Nov. 3, 2021

It oils the wheels of mastication without positively boosting flavour.

From The Guardian • Dec. 5, 2019

Pathetic, and almost moving, when you think about it: the worst sinners imaginable, each doomed to everlasting mastication, are guys undone by the successes of their famous friends.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 14, 2019

I grab a handful of Cheetos and feed them into my mouth one by one as if I’m operating mastication machinery, contemplating how to tell Fizz about the latest development on the Jeremy front.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali