ruminant

ru·mi·nant  (rm-nnt)

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.

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[From Latin rminns, rminant-, present participle of rminre, to ruminate; see ruminate.]

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ruminant

Noun

a mammal that chews the cud, such as cattle, sheep, deer, goats, and camels

Adjective

1. of ruminants

2. meditating or contemplating in a slow quiet way

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ruminant  (rm-nnt)

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.

Thesaurus

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