Ruminant Meaning
/ˈɹuːmɪnənt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjChewing cud.
adjPondering; ruminative.
Sentence Examples
Cattle are ruminant animals.
Is the cow a ruminant?
The cow is a typical ruminant that digests plant matter.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Cows and sheep are examples of ____ animals that chew their food multiple times after eating.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The cow is a classic ____ that digests its food by chewing the cud repeatedly.
Word Origin & History
From Latin rūmināns, rūminantem, present participle of rūminārī (“to chew the cud, ruminate”), from rūmen (“throat, gullet, rumen (first stomach of a ruminant)”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Flesh behind steel and glass is unprotected
From enemies that whisper to the blood;
The scratch forgotten is the scratch infected;
The ruminant, reason, chews a poisoned cud."
— 1941, Theodore Roethke, “Prognosis”, in Open House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, London: Faber and Faber […], 1968, →OCLC, page 5:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Cows and sheep are examples of ____ animals that chew their food multiple times after eating.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The cow is a classic ____ that digests its food by chewing the cud repeatedly.