Rumina

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of chewing cud by ruminant animals, where they regurgitate and re-chew their food for better digestion
2. The process associated with certain herbivores that involves the fermentation and breakdown of plant material in a specialized stomach
3. A term describing the behavior of specific animals in which they process their food multiple times to enhance nutrient absorption

Etymology: Rumina was an ancient Roman goddess who protected nursing mothers and infants. Her name is tied to the Roman legend of Romulus and Remus, who were said to have been suckled beneath a fig tree called the "ficus Ruminalis," a name linked to her. The word itself is a modern coinage, taken from that Latin name and recalling the provisional designation 2005 RM43, the astronomical label from which it comes. Its meaning as the fermentation and breakdown of plant material in a specialized stomach is the sense the word carries today.

Synonyms: stomachs, paunches, bellies, abdomens, guts