RUMINATE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does ruminate mean? 

• RUMINATE (verb)
  The verb RUMINATE has 2 senses:

1. chew the cuds

2. reflect deeply on a subject

  Familiarity information: RUMINATE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RUMINATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they ruminate    ... he / she / it ruminates   
Past simple: ruminated   
Past participle: ruminated   
-ing form: ruminating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Chew the cuds

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Context example:

cows ruminate

Hypernyms (to "ruminate" is one way to...):

eat (take in solid food)

Domain category:

ruminant (any of various cud-chewing hoofed mammals having a stomach divided into four (occasionally three) compartments)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sentence example:

The animals ruminate

Derivation:

rumen (the first compartment of the stomach of a ruminant; here food is collected and returned to the mouth as cud for chewing)

ruminant (any of various cud-chewing hoofed mammals having a stomach divided into four (occasionally three) compartments)

ruminant (related to or characteristic of animals of the suborder Ruminantia or any other animal that chews a cud)

rumination ((of ruminants) chewing (the cud))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Reflect deeply on a subject

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

chew over; contemplate; excogitate; meditate; mull; mull over; muse; ponder; reflect; ruminate; speculate; think over

Context example:

The scientist must stop to observe and start to excogitate

Hypernyms (to "ruminate" is one way to...):

cerebrate; cogitate; think (use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "ruminate"):

premeditate (think or reflect beforehand or in advance)

theologise; theologize (make theoretical speculations about theology or discuss theological subjects)

introspect (reflect on one's own thoughts and feelings)

bethink (consider or ponder something carefully)

cogitate (consider carefully and deeply; reflect upon; turn over in one's mind)

question; wonder (place in doubt or express doubtful speculation)

puzzle (be uncertain about; think about without fully understanding or being able to decide)

consider; study (give careful consideration to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

rumination (a calm, lengthy, intent consideration)

ruminative (deeply or seriously thoughtful)

ruminator (a reflective thinker characterized by quiet contemplation)

 Context examples 

Utterson ruminated awhile; he was surprised at his friend’s selfishness, and yet relieved by it.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Batygin says he spends little time ruminating on its origin — whether it is a fugitive from our own solar system or, just maybe, a wandering rogue planet captured by the sun's gravity.

(The Super-Earth that Came Home for Dinner, NASA)

When we had done, he brought me a pudding, and having set it before me, seemed to ruminate, and to become absent in his mind for some moments.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)