rumination

[roo-muh-ney-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of pondering or musing on something.

   Understanding little of what was happening, I was semiconsciously storing away experiences, impressions, and ideas for later rumination.

2. something written or spoken that expresses such pondering or musing.

   Her blog posts contain notes of spirituality, ruminations on the meaning of experience, and glimpses of her multifaceted life.

3. Psychology.,  excessive, repetitive thinking focused on the same, usually negative, idea or theme: characteristic of some obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders.

4. the act or process of chewing the cud, as cows, deer, and some other animals do.

   Rumination helps cows efficiently turn grass, corn, and other feed into nutrient-dense milk.

Other Word Forms

• nonrumination noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rumination¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin stem of rūminātiō “a chewing of the cud,” equivalent to rūmināt(us) “chewed over again” (stem of rūmināre; ruminate ( def. ) ) + -iō -ion ( def. )

Example Sentences

This task finally tore Penelope’s mind away from her ruminations about how many degrees of dead there might be, and back to the bright, cozy nursery and the extremely lively children who lived there.

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It was only when her sister heard it and commented on the lyrics that she realised it was really a rumination on death.

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True, the major soliloquies are not the tortured revelations of a soul in anguish but merely philosophical ruminations; it seems unlikely that this spirited man would opt for self-slaughter.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Shortly after, “The Family Stone” segues into one of the most potent, magnificent ruminations on life and death ever seen onscreen, so simple in its execution that it sneaks up on me every time.

Read more on Salon

So nature is boosting them up, and we think that is giving them the cognitive resources to then deal with their depression and their rumination.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• meditation 
• reflection 

When To Use

What does rumination mean?

Rumination is the process of carefully thinking something over, pondering it, or meditating on it.In psychology, the term refers to obsessive repetition of thoughts or excessively thinking about problems. Rumination can also refer to the process of chewing over and over again, as is done by ruminant animals, like cows.Rumination is the noun form of the verb ruminate, which can mean to think over or ponder, or to chew over and over.Example: After much rumination and soul-searching, I have decided to pursue a new career.