Deglutition
/ˌdiː.ɡluːˈtɪʃ.ən/noun
The act of swallowing.
Did you know?Deglutition comes from Latin deglūtīre, literally “to swallow down,” built from glūtīre, a verb tied to swallowing rather than any occult meaning—but it sounds like a ritual because the root is so old and bodily.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷel-
“to swallow, gulp down”
Latin
Latin
glūtīre
“to swallow, gulp down”
Latin
Latin
deglūtīre
“to swallow down, swallow completely”
Late Latin
Latin
deglūtītiō
“a swallowing down; deglutition”
14th Century
French
déglutition
“swallowing”
Modern English
English
deglutition
“the act of swallowing”