Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ruminate

/ˈɹumənət/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.17 in modern English

Syllables
ru-mi-nate
IPA
/ˈɹumənət/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To chew cud. (Said of ruminants.) Involves regurgitating partially digested food from the rumen.

Intransitive verb

verb

To meditate or reflect.

Intransitive verb

verb

To meditate or ponder over; to muse on.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

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.

Origin

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɹumənət/
  • British English: /ˈɹuːmɪnət/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce ruminate?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹumənət/.
What does ruminate mean?
To chew cud. (Said of ruminants.) Involves regurgitating partially digested food from the rumen.
Where does ruminate come from?
First known use: First attested in 1533.

How to pronounce ruminate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ruminate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɹumənət/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “ruminate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “ruminate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.