ruminant

1 of 2

noun

ru·​mi·​nant ˈrü-mə-nənt 

: an animal that chews the cud

specifically : an herbivorous, even-toed, hoofed mammal (suborder Ruminantia and Tylopoda) that has a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach

Proving that being a ruminant is no bar to being a sophisticate, cows listening to Beethoven and Haydn upped their milk production by 5.5 percent.

—Jeffrey Kluger

Insoluble fiber comes from the structural components of plant cell walls … . It is made up of complex carbohydrates, but has no caloric value for humans; unlike ruminants … , we are unable to digest it.

—S. Boyd Eaton

Note: Ruminants include cattle, sheep, deer, goats, giraffes, camels, and llamas, although camels, llamas, and other camelids are sometimes not considered true ruminants because they possess a 3-chambered rather than a 4-chambered stomach.

ruminant

2 of 2

adjective

1

a

: chewing the cud : being a mammal that is a ruminant

ruminant animals

b

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a mammal that is a ruminant

ruminant digestion

2

: given to or engaged in contemplation : meditative

stood there … in this attitude of ruminant relish

—Thomas Wolfe

ruminantly adverb

Synonyms

Adjective

• broody
• cogitative
• contemplative
• meditative
• melancholy
• musing
• pensive
• reflective
• ruminative
• thoughtful

Examples of ruminant in a Sentence

Adjective

I wandered around campus all day in a ruminant mood.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In this case, the term ruminant animals doesn’t refer to animals who keep thinking about something over and over again but instead are those who chew their cud like cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats and deer. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024

Cattle are ruminants, a type of mammal that has four stomach chambers to help with digesting high-fiber foods. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Tallow, in general, is the fatty tissue that surrounds a ruminant animal’s organs that’s then been removed, heated and clarified. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024

Some of the highest-emission foods come from cows and other ruminant animals, which roam across acres of land emitting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, during their unique digestion process. —Byzahra Hirji, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1661, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

ruminant

1 of 2 noun

ru·​mi·​nant ˈrü-mə-nənt 

: a cud-chewing mammal

ruminant

2 of 2 adjective

1

a

: chewing the cud

b

: of or relating to a group of hoofed mammals (as sheep, oxen, deer, and camels) that chew the cud and have a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach

2

: given to or engaged in contemplation : meditative

Medical Definition

ruminant

1 of 2 noun

ru·​mi·​nant ˈrü-mə-nənt 

: a ruminant mammal

ruminant

2 of 2 adjective

: of or relating to two suborders (Ruminantia and Tylopoda) of even-toed hoofed mammals (as sheep, oxen, deer, and camels) that chew the cud and have a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach