English
masticatory
Masticatory comes from Ancient Greek μαστιχάω ‘I gnash the teeth’, and goes back to μάσταξ ‘that with which one chews’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμάσταξmástax‘that with which one chews’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEμαστιχάωmastikháō‘I gnash the teeth’
- Englishearliest quotation 1624masticatory
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEμάσταξmástax‘that with which one chews’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEμαστιχάωmastikháō‘I gnash the teeth’
- Englishearliest quotation 1624masticatory
Earliest quotation: 1624, Democritus Junior pseudonym; Robert Burt, The Anatomy of Melancholy: […]: “Sneezing, masticatories, and nasals are generally received.”
Formed from mastico + -atory
Every English word from Ancient Greek μάσταξ
Today it means
noun Something chewed, originally as a medicine, now typically for pleasure or to increase the flow of saliva.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek μάσταξ / masticatory