ru·mi·nant

(ro͞o′mə-nənt)

1. Any of various hoofed, even-toed, usually horned mammals of the suborder Ruminantia, such as cattle, sheep, deer, antelopes, and giraffes, characteristically having a stomach divided into four compartments and chewing a cud that consists of plant food that is regurgitated when partially digested.

2. Any of various animals that ruminate but are not in the Ruminantia, including camels, alpacas, and llamas.

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.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ruminant

(ˈruːmɪnənt)

1. (Zoology) 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

2. (Zoology) any other animal that chews the cud, such as a camel

adj

3. (Zoology) of, relating to, or belonging to the suborder Ruminantia

4. (Zoology) (of members of this suborder and related animals, such as camels) chewing the cud; ruminating

5. meditating or contemplating in a slow quiet way

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ru•mi•nant

(ˈru mə nənt)

n.

1. any even-toed ungulate of the suborder Ruminantia, characterized by cud-chewing and a three- or four-chambered stomach for digesting food rich in cellulose: includes cows, sheep, goats, deer, giraffes, and camels.

adj.

2. ruminating; chewing the cud.

3. contemplative; meditative: a ruminant scholar.

[1655–65; < Latin rūminant-, s. of rūmināns, present participle of rūminārī, rūmināre to chew cud, meditate, derivative of rūmen rumen; see -ant]

ru′mi•nant•ly, adv.

ru·mi·nant

(ro͞o′mə-nənt)

Any of various hoofed, usually horned mammals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats, that have an even number of toes. Ruminants have a stomach divided into four compartments (called the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum), and chew a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially digested food.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	ruminant - any of various cud-chewing hoofed mammals having a stomach divided into four (occasionally three) compartments pollard - a usually horned animal that has either shed its horns or had them removed artiodactyl, artiodactyl mammal, even-toed ungulate - placental mammal having hooves with an even number of functional toes on each foot Ruminantia, suborder Ruminantia - cattle; bison; sheep; goats; antelopes; deer; chevrotains; giraffes; camels first stomach, rumen - the first compartment of the stomach of a ruminant; here food is collected and returned to the mouth as cud for chewing second stomach, reticulum - the second compartment of the stomach of a ruminant omasum, psalterium, third stomach - the third compartment of the stomach of a ruminant abomasum, fourth stomach - the fourth compartment of the stomach of a ruminant; the one where digestion takes place bovid - hollow-horned ruminants American antelope, Antilocapra americana, prongbuck, pronghorn, pronghorn antelope - fleet antelope-like ruminant of western North American plains with small branched horns cervid, deer - distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers chevrotain, mouse deer - very small hornless deer-like ruminant of tropical Asia and west Africa camelopard, Giraffa camelopardalis, giraffe - tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa ruminate - chew the cuds; "cows ruminate" predigest - digest (food) beforehand
Adj.	1.	ruminant - related to or characteristic of animals of the suborder Ruminantia or any other animal that chews a cud; "ruminant mammals" nonruminant - not ruminant

Translations

ruminant

[ˈruːmɪnənt]

A. ADJ → rumiante

B. N → rumiante m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ruminant

n → Wiederkäuer m

adj (lit) → wiederkäuend; (fig) → grübelnd

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

ruminant

[ˈruːmɪnənt] (Zool)

1. adj → ruminante

2. n → ruminante m

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The existence in South America of a fossil horse, of the mastodon, possibly of an elephant, [4] and of a hollow-horned ruminant, discovered by MM.

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You or I, even had we been able to hear the pitiful wail at so great distance, could not have interpreted it; but to Meriem it meant a species of terror that afflicts the ruminant when a carnivore is near and escape impossible.

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Then we shall be able to admire, without the slightest disturbance of our prepossessions: we shall hate and despise with that true ruminant relish which belongs to undoubting confidence."

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Casaubon: he was as genuine a character as any ruminant animal, and he had not actively assisted in creating any illusions about himself.

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Waterhouse and others have remarked, our carnivorous, ruminant, and rodent mammals, could successfully compete with these well-pronounced orders.

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After a long ruminant pause, the priest said: "You miss a logical step.

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Then he lit a cigarette and smoked it in ruminant manner; eventually he took out a notebook and wrote down various phrases, numbering and renumbering them till they stood in the following order: "(1) Squire Hawker disliked his first wife.

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Out upon the plain grazed numerous herds of wild ruminants. Toward a sleek, fat bunch of zebra he wormed his stealthy way.

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Beyond it we heard loud bellowings such as a troop of ruminants would produce.

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The black apes were hairless and built thatched huts in their arboreal retreats; they kept domesticated dogs and ruminants, in which respect they were farther advanced than the human beings of Pellucidar; but they appeared to have only a meager language, and sported long, apelike tails.

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On the other hand the quantity of ruminants and the variety and frequency of carnivorous animals increased.

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The breakfast began with three bowls of excellent soup, thanks to the liquefaction in hot water of those precious cakes of Liebig, prepared from the best parts of the ruminants of the Pampas.

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