hibernation

[ hahy-ber-ney-shuhn ]
See synonyms for hibernation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. 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

1
First recorded in 1680–90; hibernat(e) + -ion

Words Nearby hibernation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hibernation in a sentence

  • Indeed it was what it seemed—War emerging from his hibernation and waking up to kill again.

    The Glory of The Coming | Irvin S. Cobb
  • The bat's secret appears to be that he is not the bird-mammal, but the mammal-insect: economy of tissue, hibernation.

  • There have been many singular popular notions about the hibernation of various animals.

    The Devil's Dictionary | Ambrose Bierce

Scientific definitions for hibernation

hibernation

[ hī′bər-nāshən ]


  1. 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

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.