chewing

C3H4E1W4I1N1G2

noun

The act by which something is chewed on; mastication.

“The goat is chewing on your shirt!”

Similar
chewmasticationmanduction
OriginMiddle English chewynge ← Old English *ċēowende ← Proto-Germanic *kewwandz →
Less commonScrabble 16
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Meanings

chewing1

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of chew

    The goat is chewing on your shirt!

chewing2

nounchewing (countable and uncountable, plural chewings)

plural chewings

  1. countableuncountableThe act by which something is chewed on; mastication.

    And while the dog and the cat buses suffered considerable damage from the trapped animals' excretions, clawings, and chewings, the bus with the skunk was declared unsalvageable.

    2016, Jennifer Bramseth, Bourbon Springs Box Set: Volume II, Books 4-6
  2. countableuncountabledrugsThe consumption of (the juice from) the khat plant.
  3. countableuncountabledrugsThe consumption of loose leaf tobacco juice from tobacco plants by chewing leaves near the cheek.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounbiting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow

Similar
chewmasticationmanduction
Broader
change of state
Also see
chewmastication

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

chewing · verb

  1. Proto-Germanic*kewwaną“to chew”
  2. Proto-Germanic*kewwandz
  3. Old English*ċēowende
  4. Middle Englishchewynge
  5. Englishchewing

From Middle English chewynge, chewand, from Old English *ċēowende, from Proto-Germanic *kewwandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *kewwaną (“to chew”), equivalent to chew + -ing.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

chewing · noun

  1. Old Englishċīwung
  2. Middle Englishchewyng
  3. Englishchewing

From Middle English chewyng, chewynge, from Old English ċīwung, ċȳwung, ċēowung (“chewing”), equivalent to chew + -ing.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek μάσησις
  • μάσησις (másēsis)the act by which something is chewed
Esperanto maĉo
  • maĉothe act by which something is chewed
Latin mandūcātiō
  • mandūcātiōthe act by which something is chewed

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Chegwin
Cite this entry
APA

chewing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chewing

MLA

“chewing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chewing. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chewing,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chewing.

Source: chewing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.