chewing, grinding with one's teeth
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Mastication Definition from Language, Idioms & Slang Dictionaries & Glossaries
(n.)
The act or operation of masticating; chewing, as of food.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), edited by Noah Porter. AboutThe act or operation of masticating; chewing, as of food.
mastication
\mas`ti*ca"tion\ (?), n. [l. masticatio: cf. f. mastication.] the act or operation of masticating; chewing, as of food. mastication is a necessary preparation of solid aliment, without which there can be no good digestion.
mastication
n : biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow [syn: chew, chewing]
Noun
1. biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow
(synonym) chew, chewing, manduction
(hypernym) change of state
(hyponym) chomping
(part-holonym) eating, feeding
(derivation) chew, masticate, manducate, jaw
Mastication Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
Mastication or chewing is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion and it increases the surface area of foods to allow more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, the food is positioned between the teeth for grinding by the cheek and tongue. As chewing continues, the food is made softer and warmer, and the enzymes in saliva begin to break down carbohydrates in the food. After chewing, the food (now called a bolus) is swallowed. It enters the esophagus and via peristalsis continues on to the stomach, where the next step of digestion occurs.
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