English
mastication
Mastication comes from Late Latin masticātiō ‘chewing, mastication’, from Latin masticō ‘to chew’, and ultimately from Ancient Greek μαστιχάω ‘to grind the teeth’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμαστιχάω1‘to grind the teeth’earlier origin unknown
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmasticō2‘to chew’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmasticātiō3‘chewing, mastication’
- Englishearliest quotation 1918mastication3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin mastico
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin masticatio
- 3 Wiktionary, English mastication
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1918, –November, The Land That Time Forgot: “It is no more blasphemous than that thing which…”.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμαστιχάωWiktionary, Latin mastico‘to grind the teeth’earlier origin unknown
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmasticōWiktionary, Latin masticatio‘to chew’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmasticātiōWiktionary, English mastication‘chewing, mastication’
- Englishearliest quotation 1918masticationWiktionary, English mastication. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1918, –November, The Land That Time Forgot: “It is no more blasphemous than that thing which…”
Formed from masticate + -ion
Ancient Greek μαστιχάω ‘to grind the teeth’
Latin masticō ‘to chew’
Latin masticātus ‘masticate, chew’
English masticate
Every English word from Ancient Greek μαστιχάω
Today it means
noun The process of chewing.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “mastication”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin mastico, Latin masticatio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek μαστιχάω / mastication