what is the meaning of "ruminate" and "rumination"?

Answer 1

Quite literally they mean "to chew" and "the act of chewing." However, the words are used figuratively more often than not. Has anyone ever "given you something to chew on" when what they actually did was give you something about which you needed or wanted to think deeply? You were given something to ruminate. Your ruminations probably helped you come to some sort of conclusion.
Cows "spit up" material from a second stomach and chew that material as a "cud." Animals that do this are called ruminants.

Answer 2

Cows have 4 stomachs, so they 'ruminate' their food before they digest it. The word has therefore come to mean spending a lot of time on something before doing anything about it. Usually we mean thinking, pondering, looking at something from every angle.

Answer 3

I believe that to ruminate is to think back on... to contemplate... but I'm not entirely sure...

(edit)
LMAO @ I carried my plate into the dining ruminate. That's clever. I love it!

Answer 4

to ruminate about something is to ponder it, mull it over. Rumination means essentially the same thing: the act of pondering, mulling something over, chewing on it.

Answer 5

Ruminate Can Mean to think something over in one's mind.

or

It Can Mean to chew cud, like a cow does.

Rumination is simply "The act of..." (pick one from above.)

Answer 6

Ruminate - to chew over, or to think about over and over.

Ruminations are usually referring to someone who is obsessive-compulsive, and refers to the different ways their illness manifests itself.

Answer 7

I carried my plate into the dining ruminate.

Answer 8

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ruminate

Answer 9

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/ruminate

Answer 10

To meditate or reflect.