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ruminate - 7 dictionary results

ru⋅mi⋅nate

  [roo-muh-neyt] verb, -nat⋅ed, -nat⋅ing.
Use ruminate in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to chew the cud, as a ruminant.
2. to meditate or muse; ponder.
–verb (used with object)
3. to chew again or over and over.
4. to meditate on; ponder.
Origin:
1525–35; < L rūminātus (ptp. of rūminārī, rūmināre to ruminate), equiv. to rūmin- (s. of rūmen rumen ) + -ātus -ate 1

Related forms:
ru⋅mi⋅nat⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
ru⋅mi⋅na⋅tion, noun
ru⋅mi⋅na⋅tive, adjective
ru⋅mi⋅na⋅tive⋅ly, adverb
ru⋅mi⋅na⋅tor, noun

Synonyms:
2. think, reflect.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ruminate
ru·mi·nate   (rōō'mə-nāt')   
v.   ru·mi·nat·ed, ru·mi·nat·ing, ru·mi·nates

v.   intr.
  1. To turn a matter over and over in the mind.
  2. To chew cud.
v.   tr.
To reflect on over and over again.

[Latin rūmināre, rūmināt-, from rūmen, rūmin-, throat.]
ru'mi·na'tive adj., ru'mi·na'tive·ly adv., ru'mi·na'tor n.
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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Ruminate

Ru"mi*nate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ruminated; p. pr. & vb. n. Ruminating.] [L. ruminatus, p. p. of ruminari, ruminare, fr. rumen, -inis, throat, akin to ructare to belch, erugere to belch out, Gr. ?, AS. roccettan.]

1. To chew the cud; to chew again what has been slightly chewed and swallowed. "Cattle free to ruminate." --Wordsworth.

2. Fig.: To think again and again; to muse; to meditate; to ponder; to reflect. --Cowper.

Apart from the hope of the gospel, who is there that ruminates on the felicity of heaven? --I. Taylor.

Ruminate

Ru"mi*nate\, v. t. 1. To chew over again.

2. Fig.: To meditate or ponder over; to muse on.

Mad with desire, she ruminates her sin. --Dryden.

What I know Is ruminated, plotted, and set down. --Shak.

Ruminate

Ru"mi*nate\, Ruminated \Ru"mi*na`ted\, a. (Bot.) Having a hard albumen penetrated by irregular channels filled with softer matter, as the nutmeg and the seeds of the North American papaw.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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ruminate 
1533, "to turn over in the mind," also "to chew cud" (1547), from L. ruminatus, pp. of ruminare "to chew the cud, turn over in the mind," from rumen (gen. ruminis) "gullet," of uncertain origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: ru·mi·nate
Pronunciation: 'rü-m&-"nAt
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Forms: -nat·ed;-nat·ing
1 : to chew again what has been chewed slightly and swallowed : chew the cud
2 : to engage in contemplation
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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