masticatory
English edit
Etymology edit
From Latin mastico + -atory, the former borrowed from Ancient Greek μαστιχάω (mastikháō, “I gnash the teeth”), from μάσταξ (mástax, “that with which one chews”).
Pronunciation edit
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌmasˈtɪk.eɪ.tər.i/
- (General American) IPA(key): /mæˈstɪk.əˌtɔr.i/
Audio (UK) (file)
Noun edit
masticatory (plural masticatories)
- (chiefly medicine) Something chewed, originally as a medicine, now typically for pleasure or to increase the flow of saliva.
- 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition II, section 5, member 1, subsection iv:
- Sneezing, masticatories, and nasals are generally received.
Adjective edit
masticatory (not comparable)
- Of, or relating to mastication.
- Used for chewing.
Derived terms edit
References edit
- “masticatory”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.