ruminant Hear it!

ruminant definition

ru·mi·nant (ro̵̅o̅′mə nənt)

adjective

  1. chewing the cud
  2. of the cud-chewing animals
  3. meditative; thoughtful

Etymology: L ruminans, prp. of L ruminare, to ruminate < rumen, rumen

noun

any of the suborders (Ruminantia and Tylopoda) of four-footed, cud-chewing artiodactylous mammals: cattle, buffalo, goat, deer, antelope, and giraffe have a stomach with four chambers (the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum) and the camel, llama, and chevrotain have a stomach with three chambers

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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