Medicine & BodyGreek → English
Masseter
/məˈsiːtər/noun
The thick jaw muscle that closes the mouth in chewing.
The Greek roots
μασητήρ
masētḗr
chewer
μασᾶσθαι
masâsthai
to chew
Literally: “the chewer”
The story of the word
Greek physicians named the muscle for its only job, from μασᾶσθαι, to chew, the verb also behind mastic and masticate. For its size it is among the strongest muscles in the body, which is why it is the one that aches after a night of grinding teeth. Clench your jaw with a hand on the cheek and you can feel it stand out under the fingers.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
- First recorded
- 16th century
Same family
masticatemastic
In a sentence
The dentist blamed the headaches on an overworked masseter.