ruminant
any even-toed, hoofed mammal of the suborder Ruminantia, being comprised of cloven-hoofed, cud-chewing quadrupeds, and including, besides domestic cattle, bison, buffalo, deer, antelopes, giraffes, camels, and chevrotains.
ruminating; chewing the cud.
contemplative; meditative: a ruminant scholar.
Origin of ruminant
1Other words from ruminant
- ru·mi·nant·ly, adverb
- non·ru·mi·nant, noun, adjective
- un·ru·mi·nant, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use ruminant in a sentence
Pachyderm, a non-ruminant animal, characterized by the thickness of its skin.
A Manual of the Antiquity of Man | J. P. MacLeanPachydermata, hoofed animals with thick skins and non-ruminant, such as the elephant and the hog.
The Nuttall Encyclopaedia | Edited by Rev. James Wood
British Dictionary definitions for ruminant
/ (ˈruːmɪnənt) /
any artiodactyl mammal of the suborder Ruminantia, the members of which chew the cud and have a stomach of four compartments, one of which is the rumen. The group includes deer, antelopes, cattle, sheep, and goats
any other animal that chews the cud, such as a camel
of, relating to, or belonging to the suborder Ruminantia
(of members of this suborder and related animals, such as camels) chewing the cud; ruminating
meditating or contemplating in a slow quiet way
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for ruminant
[ rōō′mə-nənt ]
Any of various even-toed hoofed mammals of the suborder Ruminantia. Ruminants usually have a stomach divided into four compartments (called the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum), and chew a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially digested food. Ruminants include cattle, sheep, goats, deer, giraffes, antelopes, and camels.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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