n.
Function: adjective
Date: 1691
1 a (1) : chewing the cud (2) : characterized by chewing again what has been swallowed b : 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
2 : given to or engaged in contemplation : MEDITATIVE <stood there ⋯ in this attitude of ruminant relish ― Thomas Wolfe>
– ru · mi · nant · ly adverb