Rumen
/ˈruːmən/noun
The first stomach chamber of a ruminant animal, where food is stored and partially digested before being regurgitated.
Did you know?Rumen was borrowed from Latin anatomical vocabulary, and its deeper Indo-European root is the same one behind words for the throat and swallowing — a reminder that ancient science often named organs by the act of taking in breath and food.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reu-
“to flow, run”
Latin
Latin
rūmen
“the throat, gullet; later also the throat of an animal”
Late Latin
Latin
rūmen
“the first stomach of a ruminant”
16th Century
English
rumen
“the first stomach chamber of cud-chewing animals”
Modern English
English
rumen
“the first compartment of the stomach in ruminants”