What does masticate mean?

Definitions for masticate
ˈmæs tɪˌkeɪtmas·ti·cate

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word masticate.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. masticateverb

    grind and knead

    "masticate rubber"

  2. chew, masticate, manducate, jawverb

    chew (food); to bite and grind with the teeth

    "He jawed his bubble gum"; "Chew your food and don't swallow it!"; "The cows were masticating the grass"

Wiktionary

  1. masticateverb

    To chew (food).

    The cow stood, quietly masticating its cud.

  2. masticateverb

    To grind or knead something into a pulp.

  3. Etymology: From the past participle stem of post-Classical mastico, from μαστιχάω.

Wikipedia

  1. masticate

    Chewing or mastication is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion, and it increases the surface area of foods to allow a more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, the food is positioned by the cheek and tongue between the teeth for grinding. The muscles of mastication move the jaws to bring the teeth into intermittent contact, repeatedly occluding and opening. As chewing continues, the food is made softer and warmer, and the enzymes in saliva begin to break down carbohydrates in the food. After chewing, the food (now called a bolus) is swallowed. It enters the esophagus and via peristalsis continues on to the stomach, where the next step of digestion occurs. Increasing the number of chews per bite increases relevant gut hormones. Studies suggest that chewing may decrease self-reported hunger and food intake. Chewing gum has been around for many centuries; there is evidence that northern Europeans chewed birch bark tar 9,000 years ago. Chewing, needing specialized teeth, is mostly a mammalian adaptation that appeared in early Synapsids, though some later herbivorous dinosaurs, since extinct, had developed chewing too. Nowadays, only mammals chew in the strict sense of the word, though some fishes have a somewhat similar behavior. Neither birds, nor amphibians or any living reptiles chew. Premastication is sometimes performed by human parents for infants who are unable to do so for themselves. The food is masticated in the mouth of the parent into a bolus and then transferred to the infant for consumption. (Some other animals also premasticate.) Cattle and some other animals, called ruminants, chew food more than once to extract more nutrients. After the first round of chewing, this food is called cud. Chewing is important and beneficial for overall health. If food is not chewed correctly it can cause choking and other digestive problems.

ChatGPT

  1. masticate

    To masticate means to chew or grind food with your teeth. It's the first step in the digestive process and helps to physically break down food into smaller pieces that can be swallowed.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Masticateverb

    to grind or crush with, or as with, the teeth and prepare for swallowing and digestion; to chew; as, to masticate food

  2. Etymology: [L. masticatus, p. p. of masticare to chew, prob. fr. mastiche mastic. See Mastic.]

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Masticate

    mas′ti-kāt, v.t. to chew: to grind with the teeth.—adj. Mas′ticable, that may be chewed.—ns. Masticā′tion, act or process of chewing; Masticā′tor, a machine for cutting up meat for people unable to chew: a machine used in purifying india-rubber.—adj. Mas′ticatory, chewing: adapted for chewing.—n. a substance chewed to increase the saliva. [L. masticāre, -ātummastiche, mastic.]

Entomology

  1. Masticate

    to chew.

Matched Categories

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of masticate in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of masticate in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1


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"masticate." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/masticate>.

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