Chews

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /t͡ʃuːz/

Definitions

1. Bites and crushes food using the teeth ; thinks about or reflects on something carefully
2. Uses teeth to break down food into smaller pieces ; mentally examines or contemplates an idea or problem
3. Mashes food with repeated jaw movements ; ponders or deliberates thoughtfully upon a subject

Etymology: The verb "chews" is simply the third-person singular of "chew", so its history is the history of that verb. "Chew" reaches back to Old English "ċēowan", and behind that lies a Proto-Germanic root "kewwaną", meaning the same thing. Its relatives are scattered across the family of languages: German "kauen", Dutch "kauwen", and Polish "żuć" all mean "to chew". The Latin word "gingīva", meaning "gums", belongs to the same ancient family, which is why a word for an everyday act of the mouth turns up in such distant corners of Europe and Asia. Middle English had a related noun, "chew", meaning the act of chewing, which came from Old English and is recorded in Middle English as "chewen" for the verb. Both forms descend from the same Proto-Germanic verb, so the noun and the verb grew up side by side from one root.

Synonyms: masticates, gnaws, bites

Antonyms: swallows, inhales