Masticates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of breaking down food into smaller pieces occurs through the coordinated motion of the jaw and teeth, mixing the material with saliva for easier digestion and absorption of nutrients
2. Chewing involves the mechanical breakdown of food by the teeth, resulting in a softer consistency that is mixed with saliva to facilitate digestive processes in the mouth
3. The act of grinding or crushing food with the teeth entails a combination of jaw movements and saliva production, aiding in the digestive breakdown and absorption of nutrients

Etymology: "Masticates" is the third-person singular present form of "masticate", so it means "chews" in the sense of grinding food thoroughly with the teeth. The base verb comes from Latin "masticare", meaning "to chew", which itself traces back to Ancient Greek "mastikhaein", "to grind the teeth" or "to gnash". The Greek root is the same one that gives "mastic", the resin that was chewed as a gum, so the idea of working something between the teeth runs through the whole family. The English verb is built on the Latin form, which carries the suffix "-ate" used to form verbs in English from Latin stems. Some English speakers may also have formed it by working backward from "mastication", the noun for chewing, so the verb and noun developed in close step rather than one simply giving rise to the other.

Synonyms: chews, grinds, chomps, crunches, triturates

Antonyms: swallows, ingests, gulp, devour, consume