masseter

American  

[ma-see-ter] / mæˈsi tər /

noun

Anatomy.

1. a short, thick, masticatory muscle, the action of which assists in closing the jaws by raising the mandible or lower jaw.

---

masseter British  

/ ˌmæsɪˈtɛrɪk, mæˈsiːtə /

noun

1. anatomy a muscle of the cheek used in moving the jaw, esp in chewing

---

Other Word Forms

• masseteric adjective

Etymology

Origin of masseter

1660–70; < New Latin < Greek massētḗr, variant of masētḗr chewer, masseter, equivalent to masē-, variant stem of masâsthai to chew + -tēr agentive suffix

Example Sentences

About 40 units are needed for the masseter muscles to help soothe teeth clenching.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

There was also evidence of an evolutionary connection between the extramandibular fat and the masseter muscle, which in humans connects the lower jawbone to the cheekbones and is a key muscle involved in chewing.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2024

The rise of processed foods — beginning with the invention of canning in the early 1800s — softened diets to the point that the masseter muscles barely had to do any work when chewing.

From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2020

The adductor muscle that closes the jaw is composed of two muscles in mammals: the temporalis and the masseter.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

This ridge presumably marks the upper limits of the origin of the masseter from the squamosal.

From The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive Reptiles by Fox, Richard C.