Where does masticate come from?

Masticate comes from the Late Latin masticāre, meaning “to chew,” from the Greek mastikhan, “to grind the teeth.” The English word mastic derives from the same Greek word and refers to a type of tree and the resin from it that’s used to make rubber and chewing gum. (The related Greek word mastíchē means “chewing gum.”)

In the study of how humans and animals eat (at the least the ones with teeth), the act of breaking down pieces of food with the teeth in order to swallow them is called masticating. We typically don’t think about it as we’re doing it, but certain teeth are used for certain foods and stages of the chewing process. And animals with different diets masticate differently—carnivores (meat eaters) typically chew up and down, while herbivores (plant eaters) generally chew from side to side. When humans masticate, the most important thing for them to remember is to do it with their mouths closed. And while we’re using technical words, remember that mastication is followed by deglutition—the process of swallowing.