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
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
So how do cows (and other ruminants like sheep, goats, buffalo, and camels) digest fiber?
—Marianne Krasny, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Some of the highest-emission foods come from cows and other ruminant animals, which roam across acres of land emitting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, during their unique digestion process.
—Byzahra Hirji, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2024
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Noun
Trees and vegetation are always slumbering, helpless at the woodman’s axe or the casual munching of a ruminant.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
So how do cows (and other ruminants like sheep, goats, buffalo, and camels) digest fiber?
—Marianne Krasny, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Tallow, in general, is the fatty tissue that surrounds a ruminant animal’s organs that’s then been removed, heated and clarified.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Some of the highest-emission foods come from cows and other ruminant animals, which roam across acres of land emitting methane, a potent greenhouse gas, during their unique digestion process.
—Byzahra Hirji, Fortune, 28 Nov. 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 26 Jan. 2025.
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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