masticate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to chew food by crushing and grinding it with the teeth

   Horses masticate tough grass thoroughly before swallowing it.

2. 2
   verb

   to soften, grind, or knead a material into a workable mass

   Heated rollers masticate the rubber before it is shaped into sheets.

From Latin masticare ("to chew"), through its participial stem masticat-, and ultimately associated with Greek mastikhan ("to gnash the teeth"). The industrial sense extends the physical action of chewing to grinding and kneading materials.

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