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ruminant

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ru⋅mi⋅nant

  [roo-muh-nuhnt]
Use ruminant in a Sentence
–noun
1. 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.
–adjective
2. ruminating; chewing the cud.
3. contemplative; meditative: a ruminant scholar.
Origin:
1655–65; < L rūminant- (s. of rūmināns, prp. of rūminārī, rūmināre to chew cud, meditate), equiv. to rūmin- (s. of rūmen) rumen + -ant- -ant

Related forms:
ru⋅mi⋅nant⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ru·mi·nant   (rōō'mə-nənt)   
n.  Any of various hoofed, even-toed, usually horned mammals of the suborder Ruminantia, such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes, characteristically having a stomach divided into four compartments and chewing a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially digested food.
adj.  

  1. Characterized by the chewing of cud.

  2. Of or belonging to the Ruminantia.

  3. Meditative; contemplative.


[From Latin rūmināns, rūminant-, present participle of rūmināre, to ruminate; see ruminate.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

ruminant  (n.)
1661, from L. ruminantem (nom. ruminans), prp. of ruminare "to chew the cud" (see ruminate).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1ru·mi·nant
Pronunciation: 'rü-m&-n&nt
Function: noun
: a ruminant mammal

Main Entry: 2ruminant
Function: adjective
: of or relating to two suborders (Ruminantia and Tylopoda) of even-toed hoofed mammals (as sheep, oxen, deer, andcamels) that chew the cud and have a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

ruminant ru·mi·nant (r&oomacr;'mə-nənt)
n.
Any of various hoofed, even-toed, usually horned mammals of the suborder Ruminantia, such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes, characteristically having a stomach divided into four compartments and chewing a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially digested food.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
ruminant   (r'mə-nənt)  Pronunciation Key 
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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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