Rumination

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌɹuːmɪˈneɪʃən/

Definitions

1. The practice of engaging in prolonged thought about topics or experiences can enhance understanding and insight
2. The act of thinking carefully and at length about something ; the process by which certain animals chew cud to aid digestion
3. A state of prolonged mental focus and contemplation ; a biological process where herbivores regurgitate and rechew food for better nutrient extraction

Etymology: The most striking thing about "rumination" is that its original meaning was purely physical. In Latin, "rūminātio" described cattle, deer and other cud-chewing animals bringing partly digested food back up to chew again. The image was of an animal working over the same mouthful slowly and repeatedly, which is why the idea of turning something over in the mind came to fit so well. The Latin noun comes from "rūminare," meaning to chew the cud, and that verb is itself rooted in "rumen," the Latin word for the throat or gullet, later used for the first stomach of a cow or sheep. English took the word from Latin, and it retained the sense of chewing over an idea long before it was used for a person's own reflection. Over time the bodily image faded and the mental sense took over completely. Today "rumination" refers to deep or prolonged thought, often about a single subject, so that someone lost in it is effectively chewing on the same thought again and again, just as the cow once chewed its cud.

Synonyms: reflection, meditation, contemplation, consideration

Antonyms: thoughtlessness, ignorance