Ruminant animals (cattle, goats, sheep, deer, giraffes, antelopes, gazelles, etc.) are herbivorous grazing animals. They gain nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it prior to digestion. This process includes ruminating, which is when an animal chews food again after it has already been chewed slightly, swallowed, and regurgitated — commonly called “chewing the cud.” This animal activity was the first usage of the verb “ruminate,” which comes from the Latin “ruminari,” meaning “to chew the cud.” Animals in the field seem to be pensive, thoughtful creatures, which gave rise to the second, now more common usage of “ruminate”: “to contemplate, reflect.”