rumination

n. 1. Pondering or contemplating ideas or memories for a longer period than is normal. Excessive rumination is characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder. 2. The regurgitation, rechewing, and swallowing of food by grazing animals such as cows. 3. The regurgitation, rechewing, and swallowing or expectorating of food by humans, which is common among infants and profoundly retarded individuals and occurs occasionally in normal adults.