hibernation
a state of winter dormancy in some animals, in which normal annual rhythms slow the heart, breathing, and metabolic rates to a minimum, and the animal sleeps deeply in protective quarters.: Compare brumation.
Origin of hibernation
1Words Nearby hibernation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use hibernation in a sentence
Feminism had gone into partial hibernation during the 1990s, saddled with a reputation for severity and humorlessness.
Is This Dildo-Licking, Dominatrix-Loving Vogue Blogger the New Face of Feminism? | Lizzie Crocker | May 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe study also noted that bear attacks mostly occurred during August, when bears are gearing up for hibernation and seeking food.
How Climate Change Is Causing Chaos in the Animal Kingdom | Nina Strochlic | January 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA new fawning documentary, however, hopes to lure the Mama Grizzly out of campaign hibernation.
The big man wheeled around like a bear aroused from hibernation.
Jubilation, U.S.A. | G. L. VandenburgIt's more of a coma, something like the hibernation of a bear or a possum.
Islands of Space | John W Campbell
Indeed it was what it seemed—War emerging from his hibernation and waking up to kill again.
The Glory of The Coming | Irvin S. CobbThe bat's secret appears to be that he is not the bird-mammal, but the mammal-insect: economy of tissue, hibernation.
The Natural Philosophy of Love | Remy de GourmontThere have been many singular popular notions about the hibernation of various animals.
The Devil's Dictionary | Ambrose Bierce
Scientific definitions for hibernation
[ hī′bər-nā′shən ]
An inactive state resembling deep sleep in which certain animals living in cold climates pass the winter. In hibernation, the body temperature is lowered and breathing and heart rates slow down. Hibernation protects the animal from cold and reduces the need for food during the season when food is scarce. Compare estivation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for hibernation
Passing the winter in a sleeping or inactive condition. Bears, ground squirrels, woodchucks, and several other kinds of animals hibernate.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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