chew
/t͡ʃ(j)u/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.66 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To crush with the teeth by repeated closing and opening of the jaws; done to food to soften it and break it down by the action of saliva before it is swallowed.
verb
To chew tobacco.
Example Sentences
- "Make sure to chew thoroughly, and don't talk with your mouth full!"
- "The steak was tough to chew as it had been cooked too long."
- "The same chewn upon maketh one to avoid much phlegm."
- "1971-79, Journal of Glenn T. Seaborg And gruesome they areː We find cattle still alive with hindquarters chewn off, still alive with their eyes chewn out, their ears chewn off, their noses and faces chewn till they look like (a) Hamburger, their tails hanging in shreds. Or, we find them after a slow and cruel death. Can you understand why cattlemen will shoot YOUR dog if he is seen wandering on ranchland?"
- "But meanwhile Mademoiselle's book had at least been found under an arm-chair where it had been dragged, chewn up and torn to pieces by a young pug-dog or by a kitten."
- "He wore two sweaters, both moth chewn and filthy but warm."
Etymology
From Middle English chewen, from Old English ċēowan, from Proto-West Germanic *keuwan, from Proto-Germanic *kewwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵyewh₁-. Cognate with West Frisian kôgje, Low German käwwen, Dutch kauwen, German kauen; also Latin gingīva (“gums”), Tocharian B śuwaṃ (“to eat”), Polish żuć (“to chew”), Persian جویدن (javidan), Pashto ژُوَل (žovạl, “to bite, gnaw”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *ǵyewh₁-, chewen, ċēowan, *keuwan, *kewwaną, chew
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /t͡ʃ(j)u/
- British English: /tʃuː/