Making a loud, sharp, breaking sound when chewed or stepped on; or processing large amounts of data or numbers.
From an imitative/onomatopoetic origin—'crunch' imitates the actual sound. The word became more common in the 1900s, and gained the 'processing data' meaning in late 1900s computing slang.
Your brain actually enjoys the sound of crunching food—the sensory feedback of hearing breaking textures releases dopamine, which is why people find crunchy foods so satisfying even if they're the same flavor as mushy versions.
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