| rumination | 1. The act or process of ruminating, or chewing the cud; the habit of chewing the cud. "Rumination is given to animals to enable them at once to lay up a great store of food, and afterward to chew it." (Arbuthnot) 2. The state of being disposed to ruminate or ponder; deliberate meditation or reflection. "Retiring full of rumination sad." (Thomson) 3. <physiology> The regurgitation of food from the stomach after it has been swallowed, occasionally oberved as a morbid phenomenon in man. Origin: L. Ruminatio: cf. F. Rumination. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| rumination disorder | A mental disorder occurring in infancy characterised by repeated regurgitation of food; usually accompanied by weight loss or failure to gain weight. (05 Mar 2000) |