The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Ruminate \Ru"mi*nate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ruminated; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Ruminating.] [L. ruminatus, p. p. of ruminari,
   ruminare, fr. rumen, -inis, throat, akin to ructare to belch,
   erugere to belch out, Gr. ?, AS. roccettan.]
   1. To chew the cud; to chew again what has been slightly
      chewed and swallowed. "Cattle free to ruminate."
      --Wordsworth.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Fig.: To think again and again; to muse; to meditate; to
      ponder; to reflect. --Cowper.
      [1913 Webster]

            Apart from the hope of the gospel, who is there that
            ruminates on the felicity of heaven?  --I. Taylor.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Ruminate \Ru"mi*nate\, v. t.
   1. To chew over again.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Fig.: To meditate or ponder over; to muse on.
      [1913 Webster]

            Mad with desire, she ruminates her sin. --Dryden.
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            What I know
            Is ruminated, plotted, and set down.  --Shak.
      [1913 Webster] Ruminate

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Ruminate \Ru"mi*nate\, Ruminated \Ru"mi*na`ted\, a. (Bot.)
   Having a hard albumen penetrated by irregular channels filled
   with softer matter, as the nutmeg and the seeds of the North
   American papaw.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

ruminate
    v 1: chew the cuds; "cows ruminate"
    2: reflect deeply on a subject; "I mulled over the events of the
       afternoon"; "philosophers have speculated on the question of
       God for thousands of years"; "The scientist must stop to
       observe and start to excogitate" [syn: chew over, think
       over, meditate, ponder, excogitate, contemplate,
       muse, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate,
       speculate]