mastication
Teeth breaking food
Mastication is the act of chewing—grinding food with the teeth to break it down before swallowing.
The word appears most often in scientific or medical contexts: Proper mastication aids digestion.
Outside technical writing, people usually just say chewing.
Bone holding teeth
crunch · munch · mandible · maxilla · occlusion · temporomandibular · bolus · ruminate
Mouth's digestive secretion
- salivateSecrete mouth fluid
- enzymesReaction-speeding proteins
- amylaseStarch-digesting enzyme
- bolusChewed food mass
breakdown · nutrients · absorption · stomach · peristalsis · gastric · chyme · swallowing
Crush to powder
comminute · triturate · fragment · soften · break down · tender · fibrous · tough
jaw
Bone holding teeth
nibble · crunch · munch · mandible · maxilla · occlusion · temporomandibular · bolus · ruminate · chew
saliva
Mouth's digestive secretion
bolus · breakdown · nutrients · absorption · stomach · peristalsis · gastric · chyme · swallowing · esophagus
pulverize
Crush to powder
macerate · comminute · triturate · fragment · soften · break down · tender · fibrous · tough · chewy
incisors
Front cutting teeth
cuspids · bicuspids · enamel · dentition · dental · occlusal · crown · root · dentin · periodontal
flavor
Characteristic taste quality
taste · aroma · mouthfeel · umami · sweet · sour · bitter · salty · savory · release
- digestionstomach acid, swallowing, digesting, chewing, digestion
- chewingchewing, gnawing, grinding, biting, chomping
- mouth actionsbite, biting, chewing, chew, swallowing
- jaw actionschewing, clenching, opening, closing, biting
- mouth functionschewing, biting, swallowing, licking, sucking
- rubber industrynatural rubber, synthetic rubber, vulcanization, latex, elastomer
masticationswallowing
Ingesting via throat muscles
deglutition · regurgitation · digestion · expectoration · spitting