Masticate
//ˈmæstɪkeɪt// verb
verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To chew (usually food). transitive
"The cow stood, quietly masticating its cud."
- 2 chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth wordnet
- 3 To grind or knead something into a pulp. transitive
- 4 grind and knead wordnet
Example
More examples"Are you just going to stand there and masticate in front of everyone?"
Etymology
From Latin masticātus, perfect passive participle of masticō (“to chew”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Alternatively, back-formation from mastication, either ultimately from Ancient Greek μαστιχάω (mastikháō, “to grind the teeth”). Compare French mastiquer.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.