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Glite Dictionary
nonruminant

nonruminant

8.8
An animal like a pig or horse that does not chew food a second time
  • adjective
  • /ˌnɒnˈruːmɪnənt/
  • Specialized
: no rumiante
  • Pigs and horses are considered nonruminant animals because they do not chew cud.

Examples

  • A cow is a ruminant, while a horse is a nonruminant animal.

  • The diet of a nonruminant species typically differs from that of a ruminant.

  • Researchers compared growth rates between the nonruminant rabbits and the ruminant sheep.

  • Many nonruminant species have different digestive processes.

  • Pigs and horses are considered nonruminant animals because they do not chew cud.

  • The diet of a nonruminant species typically differs from that of nonruminant ruminants.

  • Many nonruminant species, such as pigs and horses, have simpler digestive systems.

Antonyms

ruminant
  • Specialized
1 7.2

Relating to animals that chew cud, like cows and sheep

Surface Forms

nonruminant positive

Morphology

nonruminant = ruminant (transparent) = non + ruminant

The negative prefix 'non-' is productive and the meaning 'not a ruminant' is directly derivable from 'ruminant'.

Etymology

Nonruminant is made of the part non- meaning 'not' and ruminant, from a word that means 'to chew the cud'. So a nonruminant animal is 'not' a cud-chewer, for example pigs and horses, which do not have the special multi-part stomach cows use to re-chew their food.