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ruminant

ruminant

2 7.2
A mammal with hooves that chews cud, like cows and sheep
  • noun
  • /ˈruːmɪnənt/
  • Specialized
: ruminante
  • Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute febrile viral disease that affects domestic ruminants and humans.
  • small ruminants
  • domestic ruminants
  • ruminant farm

Examples

  • Fascioliasis is a common disease of cattle and other ruminants caused by F. hepatica and F. gigantica.

    Academic text (2014)
  • "We're seeing renderers shift the flow of ruminant protein away from ruminant feed," says Mike Westendorf of Rutgers University.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Even when he wasn't eating, his jaw moved gently around like the jaw of a ruminant.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The DDGS is used as animal feed, particularly for ruminants (mainly dairy and beef cattle).

    Academic text (2008)
  • Forage crops, pasture, and rangelands are important in feeding ruminant animals tied to the meat and dairy industries.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Almost all of these species are ruminants, a type of mammal with four chambered stomachs that yield large quantities of milk.

  • Molasses is appropriate for feeding ruminants as it is appetizing and manageable to utilize.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Ruminants (PPR) is an acute contagious viral disease of small ruminants and is causing heavy economic losses to the goat industry.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Ruminal acidosis is a metabolic disorder caused by feeding errors in ruminants that may be manifested in acute or subacute form.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Cows, as ruminants, chew their cud to aid digestion and maintain health.

Surface Forms

ruminant singular
ruminants plural

Morphology

ruminant = ruminate (semi-transparent) = ruminate + ant

Formed regularly from 'ruminate' + '-ant', but many learners know 'ruminate' mainly in the metaphorical sense ('ponder'), and '-ant' as a nominal/adjectival suffix is less salient.

Etymology

Ruminant comes from the Latin verb ruminare, which means 'to chew the cud' or 'chew again'. That's why a ruminant is a hoofed animal like a cow or sheep that brings food back up to chew it again.