# ruminate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈɹumɪneɪt/ · frequency rank #78,092

## Definitions
1. To chew cud. (Said of ruminants.) Involves regurgitating partially digested food from the rumen.
2. To meditate or reflect.
3. To meditate or ponder over; to muse on.

## Etymology
First attested in 1533; borrowed from Latin rūminātus, perfect active participle of rūminor (“to chew the cud, turn over in the mind”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from rūmen (“the throat, gullet”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), itself of uncertain origin.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ruminate