ruminant
ruminant Lexical Profile
ruminant Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An even-toed ungulate mammal of the suborder Ruminantia (such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, giraffes, or antelopes) that digests plant food by fermenting it in a specialized four-chambered stomach before regurgitating and chewing it again as cud.
"Cattle, sheep, and deer are familiar ruminants that rely on microbial fermentation to break down tough plant cellulose."
• adjective
Relating to or belonging to the suborder of mammals that digest plant-based food by regurgitating and rechewing the cud.
"A cow's specialized ruminant digestive system allows it to extract nutrients from tough grasses."
Given to or characterized by deep, slow, or quiet thought; contemplative or meditative.
"He sat in a ruminant silence on the porch, mulling over the implications of the letter."
• Rhymes for ruminant
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Middle French ruminant or directly from Latin ruminantem, the present participle of ruminare ('to chew the cud, turn over in the mind'), derived from rumen ('gullet' or 'throat').