Masticated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Broken down into smaller pieces by chewing with the teeth
2. Processed by crushing or grinding food in the mouth before swallowing
3. Reduced to a soft mass through the action of the teeth in preparation for digestion

Etymology: "Masticated" is the past tense of "masticate," which comes from the Late Latin verb "masticare," meaning "to chew." That Latin verb descends from the Greek "mastikhan," with the same sense, and the Greek source is linked to "mastax," meaning "jaws" or "mouth." English adopted the word in the late 1500s, and it has stayed a fairly technical-sounding term for chewing ever since. The more surprising detail is the sense of the word itself. Its earliest English uses were not limited to eating: writers also used "masticate" for chewing over an idea mentally, a figurative extension that is less common today. Modern usage has mostly narrowed back to the physical act of chewing, which is why it sounds more formal than the plain verb "chew."

Synonyms: chewed, mashed, crushed, ground, pounded