masticate

«masticate» in Mova's school dictionary: to chew food so it is broken into small pieces before… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

verb (masticate, masticates, masticated, masticating)

meaning for a pupil

1) (formal, science) To masticate is to chew food so it is broken into small pieces before swallowing. tree →

2) (technical) To masticate rubber is to soften it by crushing and kneading it. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science lessons on digestion, mastication by the teeth is the first step: molars grind, incisors cut, saliva softens. In everyday talk it is a big, funny word for «chew». Phrases: «masticate your food», «mastication».

examples

• Digestion starts when you masticate your food. tree →
• The cow lay in the field slowly masticating grass. tree →
• Molars help you masticate tough food. tree →
• «Masticate thoroughly,» the doctor said, meaning «chew well». tree →
• Cows masticate their food twice by chewing the cud. tree →
• Mastication mixes food with saliva. tree →

note

Formal word; everyday word «chew». Noun «mastication». In everyday writing «chew» is clearer. Past form «masticated».

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «masticate» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.