ruminant
/'ru:minənt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A cud-chewing hoofed mammal: A ruminant is any of various hoofed mammals that chew cud, having a stomach divided into compartments to facilitate digestion of plant material.
Adjective:
- Characteristic of cud-chewing animals: Relating to or resembling animals that chew the cud.
- Meditative, contemplative: (Figurative) Characterized by or engaged in deep, careful thought.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- Cows, sheep, and deer are all ruminants.
- The farmer's herd consisted mostly of ruminants like goats and cattle.
Adjective (literal):
- The ruminant digestive system is highly specialized.
- We studied ruminant physiology in class.
Adjective (figurative):
- He fell into a ruminant silence, pondering the question.
- Her ruminant nature made her an excellent philosopher.
Advanced Usage
- "Ruminant on": (Figurative, less common) To be deeply thoughtful about a subject.
- She was ruminant on the complexities of human nature.
Variants and Related Words
Ruminate (verb): To chew cud; (figuratively) to think deeply about something.
- The cow will ruminate for hours.
- He needed time to ruminate on the proposal.
Rumination (noun): The act of chewing cud; deep thought.
- Ruminative (adjective): Inclined to or characterized by deep thought.
Synonyms
- Noun: Cud-chewer, ungulate (specific to hoofed mammals).
- Adjective (figurative): Contemplative, pensive, reflective, meditative, thoughtful.
Related Idioms
- Chew the cud: (Literal) To ruminate as an animal; (Figurative) To ponder or think over something carefully.
- After the meeting, he went for a walk to chew the cud on what was said.
Adjective
- related to or characteristic of animals of the suborder Ruminantia or any other animal that chews a cud
- ruminant mammals
Noun
- any of various cud-chewing hoofed mammals having a stomach divided into four (occasionally three) compartments