English edit

Etymology edit

1533, "to turn over in the mind," also "to chew cud" (1547), from Latin rūminātus, perfect active participle of rūminārī (to chew the cud, turn over in the mind), from rūmen (the throat, gullet), of uncertain origin.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈɹumɪneɪt/
  • (file)
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Verb edit

ruminate (third-person singular simple present ruminates, present participle ruminating, simple past and past participle ruminated)

  1. (intransitive) To chew cud. (Said of ruminants.) Involves regurgitating partially digested food from the rumen.
    A camel will ruminate just as a cow will.
  2. (intransitive) To meditate or reflect.
    I didn't answer right away because I needed to ruminate first.
    • 2020 April 8, David Clough, “How the West Coast wiring war was won”, in Rail, page 59:
      Meanwhile, the MoT had itself also been ruminating on options for the northern half of the route.
  3. (transitive) To meditate or ponder over; to muse on.

Conjugation edit

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Translations edit

Adjective edit

ruminate (not comparable)

  1. (botany) Having a hard albumen penetrated by irregular channels filled with softer matter, as the nutmeg and the seeds of the North American papaw.
    a ruminate endosperm

See also edit

Further reading edit

Italian edit

Etymology 1 edit

Verb edit

ruminate

  1. inflection of ruminare:
    1. second-person plural present indicative
    2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2 edit

Participle edit

ruminate f pl

  1. feminine plural of ruminato

Anagrams edit

Latin edit

Participle edit

rūmināte

  1. vocative masculine singular of rūminātus