RUMINANT

I. noun Date: 1661 a ~ mammal, II. adjective Date: 1691 1. a. chewing the cud, characterized by chewing again what has been swallowed, of or relating to two suborders (Ruminantia and Tylopoda) of herbivorous even-toed hoofed mammals (as sheep, oxen, deer, and camels) that chew the cud and have a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach, given to or engaged in contemplation ; meditative , ~ly adverb