Masticatory

//ˌmasˈtɪk.eɪ.tər.i// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Something chewed, originally as a medicine, now typically for pleasure or to increase the flow of saliva.

    "Sneezing, masticatories, and nasals are generally received."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, or relating to mastication. not-comparable
  2. 2
    Used for chewing. not-comparable

Synonyms

All synonyms
chewingruminant

Example

More examples

"Sneezing, masticatories, and nasals are generally received."

Etymology

From Latin mastico + -atory, the former borrowed from Ancient Greek μαστιχάω (mastikháō, “I gnash the teeth”), from μάσταξ (mástax, “that with which one chews”).

Related phrases

masticatory force

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.