Wiktionary
n. (plural of rumen English)
WordNet
n. the first compartment of the stomach of a ruminant; here food is collected and returned to the mouth as cud for chewing [syn: first stomach]
[also: rumina (pl)]
See rumen
Wikipedia
In ancient Roman religion, Rumina, also known as Diva Rumina, was a goddess who protected breastfeeding mothers, and possibly nursing infants. Her domain extended to protecting animal mothers, not just human ones. As one of the indigitamenta, Rumina lacked the elaborate mythology and personality of later Roman deities, and was instead a more abstract, numinous entity.
Rumina's temple was near the Ficus Ruminalis, the fig tree at the foot of the Palatine Hill where Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf. Milk, rather than the typical wine, was offered as a sacrifice at this temple. In AD 58, the tree started to die, which was interpreted as a bad omen.
Usage examples of "rumina".
Some of them we leave unmarried, as though there were no match for them, which is surely needless, especially when there are certain unmarried goddesses, as Populonia, or Fulgora, or the goddess Rumina, for whom I am not astonished that suitors have been awanting.
I am unwilling to say that the giving of the pap to sucking animals might have become Juno rather than Jupiter, especially when there was the goddess Rumina to help and to serve her in this work.