cud

[ kuhd ]

noun

1. the portion of food that a ruminant returns from the first stomach to the mouth to chew a second time.
2. Dialect. quid ¹.

cud

/ kʌd /

noun

1. partially digested food regurgitated from the first stomach of cattle and other ruminants to the mouth for a second chewing
2. chew the cud
   to reflect or think over something

cud

/ kŭd /

1. Food that has been partly digested and brought up from the first stomach to the mouth again for further chewing by ruminants, such as cattle and sheep.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cud¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English cudu, variant of cwiodu, cwidu; akin to Old High German quiti glue, Sanskrit jatu resin, gum. See quid ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of cud¹

Old English cudu, from cwidu what has been chewed; related to Old Norse kvātha resin (for chewing), Old High German quiti glue, Sanskrit jatu rubber

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. chew one's / the cud, Informal. to meditate or ponder; ruminate.

Example Sentences

Think “Sonoma County farm,” and most people will conjure an image of docile cows chewing cud or chickens scratching the dirt, idly whiling away their days among the grassy, green hills of this mostly rural, coastal Northern California county.

From Los Angeles Times

Over the past decade, researchers at FBN and elsewhere have shown that pigs show signs of empathy, goats rival dogs in some tests of social intelligence, and, in one of the field’s, um, splashiest recent finds, cows can be potty trained, suggesting a self-awareness behind the blank stares and cud chewing that has shocked even some experts.

From Science Magazine

As with most ruminants, cattle make the most of a paltry diet, converting cud, grains, and crop waste into muscle and milk.

From Scientific American

As with most ruminants, cattle make the most of a paltry diet, converting cud, grains and crop waste into muscle and milk.

From Salon

“The results here underscore the importance of assessing patient cannabis use and CUD symptoms in medical settings,” the study concluded.

From New York Times