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Glite Dictionary
🦷 For chewing 🦷 A chewing muscle
masticatory

masticatory

8.2
Relating to chewing
  • adjective
  • /ˈmæstɪkəˌtɔri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : masticatorio
  • Proper alignment of the teeth enhances the masticatory experience during meals.

Examples

  • In the formation of the animal head, the predominant thing is the mouth, as the tool for chewing, with the upper and lower jaw, the teeth, and the masticatory muscles.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Dental health is crucial for maintaining effective masticatory abilities throughout life.

  • The masticatory functions of the jaw allow animals to efficiently process their food.

Surface Forms

masticatory positive

Morphology

masticatory = masticate (transparent) = masticate + ory

The adjective is directly formed from the verb 'masticate' with the adjectival suffix '-ory', yielding 'relating to chewing', a straightforward derivation.

Etymology

Masticatory comes from a word that means 'to chew' and shares the same root as masticate ('to chew'). So masticatory describes something used for chewing, like muscles or teeth.