masticate
verb /ˈmæstɪkeɪt/
/ˈmæstɪkeɪt/
[intransitive] (specialist)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they masticate | /ˈmæstɪkeɪt/ /ˈmæstɪkeɪt/ |
| he / she / it masticates | /ˈmæstɪkeɪts/ /ˈmæstɪkeɪts/ |
| past simple masticated | /ˈmæstɪkeɪtɪd/ /ˈmæstɪkeɪtɪd/ |
| past participle masticated | /ˈmæstɪkeɪtɪd/ /ˈmæstɪkeɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form masticating | /ˈmæstɪkeɪtɪŋ/ /ˈmæstɪkeɪtɪŋ/ |
- to bite food many times as you eat it synonym chew (1)
- This animal eats fruit from several trees but does not masticate the food.
Word Originmid 17th cent. (earlier (Middle English) as mastication): from late Latin masticat- ‘chewed’, from the verb masticare, from Greek mastikhan ‘gnash the teeth’ (related to masasthai ‘to chew’).