This week’s theme
Unusual verbs for everyday actions

This week’s words
micturate
osculate
regurgitate
masticate
exungulate

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(MAS-ti-kayt)

MEANING:

verb tr., intr.:
1. To chew.
2. To reduce to pulp by crushing and grinding.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin masticare (to chew), from Greek mastikhan (to gnash the teeth). Earliest documented use: 1562. A synonym of this word is fletcherize.

USAGE:

“Don’t chew with mouth open: Thy beauty causeth every head to turn.
Thy comeliness could launch a thousand ships.
But suitors will be few till thou dost learn
To masticate with firmly closed lips. (Nan Reiner, Alexandria)”
Pat Myers; Rhymes & Misdemeanors; The Washington Post; Jun 14, 2015.

“Ansari helpfully masticates their findings down for a general audience.”
Helen Lewis; Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari review; The Guardian (London, UK); Jun 4, 2015.

See more usage examples of masticate in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: