The Word "Ruminate" Actually Comes From Cows → Here's Why

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]Have you ever said something really smart [music] or gave a really great idea at work and someone says they need to ruminate on it? What does ruminate really mean?

[00:00:11]The word ruminate is referring to how ruminants, like cattle or sheep or goats, eat their food. This cow is ruminating right now. You can see there's no food in front of her and yet she's chewing and chewing and chewing. This cow has eaten her breakfast, swallowed it, gone and laid down, and then regurgitated it back up to chew it some more.

[00:00:35]She is chewing her cud.

[00:00:38]And we can compare how we think to how these animals eat. How they ruminate.

[00:00:44]So when someone says, "I'm going to need to ruminate on that." They're saying they need time to chew it over.

[00:00:51]>> [music] >> To think about it deeply. To turn it over in their minds.

[00:00:55]And really ponder that thought. It's interesting, cows give us a lot of things. Not just milk.