ru·mi·nant
ˈrü-mə-nənt 
: an animal that chews the cud
specifically
: an herbivorous, even-toed, hoofed mammal (suborder Ruminantia and Tylopoda) that has a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach
Proving that being a ruminant is no bar to being a sophisticate, cows listening to Beethoven and Haydn upped their milk production by 5.5 percent. —
Jeffrey Kluger
Jeffrey Kluger Insoluble fiber comes from the structural components of plant cell walls … . It is made up of complex carbohydrates, but has no caloric value for humans; unlike ruminants … , we are unable to digest it. —S. Boyd Eaton
S. Boyd Eaton Note: Ruminants include cattle, sheep, deer, goats, giraffes, camels, and llamas, although camels, llamas, and other camelids are sometimes not considered true ruminants because they possess a 3-chambered rather than a 4-chambered stomach.
1
2
: given to or engaged in contemplation : meditative
stood there … in this attitude of ruminant relish—Thomas Wolfe
Thomas Wolfe
ruminantly
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of ruminant in a Sentence
Adjective
I wandered around campus all day in a ruminant mood.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
Specifically, cattle and other ruminants are a huge source of methane.
—Frida Garza, WIRED, 19 Oct. 2024
Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 10 Oct. 2024
Tripe is a meat that comes from the stomach lining of beef, hog, sheep, and other ruminant animals.
—Lauren O'Connor, Ms, Health, 29 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruminant 
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Noun
Done by Weta Works, Black Sheep uses puppets for most of its infected ruminants.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
Specifically, cattle and other ruminants are a huge source of methane.
—Frida Garza, WIRED, 19 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Whether they’re raised organic or conventional, ruminant grazing requires a lot of land and water — the latter increasingly scarce in the parched American West — and produces significant greenhouse gas emissions.
—Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 10 Oct. 2024
Tripe is a meat that comes from the stomach lining of beef, hog, sheep, and other ruminant animals.
—Lauren O'Connor, Ms, Health, 29 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ruminant
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Dictionary Entries Near ruminant
Cite this Entry
“Ruminant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruminant. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ruminant
1 of 2 noun
ru·mi·nant
ˈrü-mə-nənt
: a cud-chewing mammal
ruminant
2 of 2 adjective1
a
: chewing the cud
b
: of or relating to a group of hoofed mammals (as sheep, oxen, deer, and camels) that chew the cud and have a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach
2
: given to or engaged in contemplation : meditative
Medical Definition
ruminant
1 of 2 noun
ru·mi·nant
ˈrü-mə-nənt
: a ruminant mammal
ruminant
2 of 2 adjective
: of or relating to two suborders (Ruminantia and Tylopoda) of even-toed hoofed mammals (as sheep, oxen, deer, and camels) that chew the cud and have a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach
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