All 3 Uses of
ruminate
in
Moby Dick
- At one end a ruminating tar was still further adorning it with his jack-knife, stooping over and diligently working away at the space between his legs.†
Chpt 1-3
- Unconsciously clapping the vinegar-cruet to one side of her nose, she ruminated for an instant; then exclaimed—"No!†
Chpt 16-18 *
- Much might be ruminated here, concerning the essential dignity of this regal process, because in common life we esteem but meanly and contemptibly a fellow who anoints his hair, and palpably smells of that anointing.†
Chpt 25-27
Definitions:
-
(1)
(ruminate) to think about something -- especially in a sustained manner; or to think again and again about something in an unhelpful manner
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely, ruminate can reference a digestion technique used by some kinds of animals such as cows in which they regurgitate food from the stomach and chew it again.