Masticatory
/ˈmæs.tɪ.kəˌtɔːr.i/noun
Relating to chewing or to the act of chewing.
Did you know?Masticatory comes from the same ancient root behind Greek mastikhein, “to chew,” a word linked to mastix, “whip,” because forceful chewing and striking were imagined through the same vivid bodily root.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mend-
“to chew, bite”
Ancient Greek
Greek
mastikhan
“to chew, gnash”
Late Latin
Latin
masticatorius
“for chewing; relating to chewing”
14th–15th Century
Middle English
masticatory
“fit for chewing; used in chewing”
Modern English
English
masticatory
“relating to chewing or the muscles used in chewing”
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