Fletcherism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A dietary system promoted by Horace Fletcher that calls for chewing each mouthful thoroughly until it becomes liquid before swallowing
2. The eating regimen named after Horace Fletcher, based on chewing food extremely thoroughly so that it dissolves in the mouth
3. A method of diet in which every bite is masticated repeatedly until it is almost fluid, a practice associated with Horace Fletcher

Etymology: Horace Fletcher (1849–1919) was an American health-food enthusiast who believed the key to good digestion and sensible eating was to chew each mouthful far longer than most people do, often until it lost all taste and simply slid down. He preached the method widely in the Victorian and Edwardian years, and his followers came to be known by his name. "Fletcherism" is the name for his system of thorough chewing, formed by adding the suffix "-ism," used for doctrines and movements, to his surname. The term therefore tells you almost nothing about the food itself and everything about the man. Its structure is plain: a proper name with a suffix, the same pattern that gives us "Darwinism" or "Marxism." Fletcher's ideas were taken seriously enough in his time to earn his name a place in the language, even though the diet they described is now a historical curiosity.