Definition of RUMINATE

ruminate

Verb

Verb Forms: ruminated, ruminating, ruminates

  • To think deeply or chew over again, literally or figuratively.
  • chew the cuds
    • "cows ruminate"
  • reflect deeply on a subject
  • To chew cud. (Said of ruminants.) Involves regurgitating partially digested food from the rumen.
  • To meditate or reflect.
  • To meditate or ponder over; to muse on.

Adj

  • Having a hard albumen penetrated by irregular channels filled with softer matter, as the nutmeg and the seeds of the North American papaw.

Examples

  • A camel will ruminate just as a cow will.
  • I didn't answer right away because I needed to ruminate first.
  • Players often RUMINATE on their tile rack, searching for hidden words.

Origin / 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.

Synonyms

chew over, contemplate, excogitate, meditate, mull, mull over, muse, ponder, reflect, speculate, think over, Or Thesaurus:think

Scrabble Score: 10

ruminate: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
ruminate: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
ruminate: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

ruminate: valid Words With Friends Word