Organism Function
masticate
mas·ti·cate [ mas-ti-keyt ]
Subclass of:
Eating
Definitions related to chewing:
  • (mastication) Act and process of chewing and grinding food in the mouth.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • (mastication) The act and process of chewing and grinding food in the mouth.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • (mastication) The process by which food is torn or crushed by the teeth.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • (mastication) The process of biting and mashing food with the teeth prior to swallowing.
    Gene Ontology Dictionary
    Gene Ontology Consortium, 2021
  • Chewing, up-and-down and side-to-side movements of the lower jaw that assist in reducing particles of solid food, making them more easily swallowed; teeth usually act as the grinding and biting surface. In cats and dogs, food is reduced only to a size that permits easy swallowing. Cows and other...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
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