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Webster's New World College Dictionary » ruminant
ruminant
ruminant definition
ru·mi·nant (ro̵̅o̅′mə nənt)
adjective
- chewing the cud
- of the cud-chewing animals
- meditative; thoughtful
Etymology: L ruminans, prp. of L ruminare, to ruminate < rumen, rumen
noun
any of the suborders (Ruminantia and Tylopoda) of four-footed, cud-chewing artiodactylous mammals: cattle, buffalo, goat, deer, antelope, and giraffe have a stomach with four chambers (the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum) and the camel, llama, and chevrotain have a stomach with three chambers
Related Forms:
- ruminantly ru′·mi·nantly adverb
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