To bite and grind food with the teeth before swallowing; or things that are meant to be chewed like gum or candy.
From Old English 'ceowan' (to chew, chaw). The word appears unchanged in basic form since before 1000 CE, showing its ancient importance in describing eating.
Chewing wasn't just eating—it was a survival tool: humans lost their massive jaw muscles about 4 million years ago when our ancestors began cooking food, which pre-digests it enzymatically, allowing our brains to grow 400% larger with the energy saved.
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