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aestivate

American  
[es-tuh-veyt, ee-stuh-] / ˈɛs təˌveɪt, ˈi stə- /

verb (used without object)

aestivated, aestivating
  1. estivate.


aestivate British  
/ ˈɛs-, ˈiːstɪˌveɪt /

verb

  1. to pass the summer

  2. (of animals such as the lungfish) to pass the summer or dry season in a dormant condition Compare hibernate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of aestivate

C17: from Latin aestīvātus, from aestīvāre to stay during the summer, from aestās summer

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The land molluscs of the district are the only animals which aestivate; they are found in clusters, Bulimi and Helices, concealed in hollow trees, the mouths of their shells closed by a film of mucus.

From The Naturalist on the River Amazons by Bates, Henry Walter

Terrestrial molluscs lie dormant in the winter in cold and temperate latitudes and their tropical allies aestivate in districts where conditions enforce the habit.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various

In such cases the insect must aestivate rather than hibernate.

From Butterflies Worth Knowing by Weed, Clarence M.

Plus, there’s a modest likelihood their aestivating aliens idea might be part of the answer, Cirkovic said.

From Slate Jul. 17, 2017

Any aestivating civilization has to preserve resources it intends to use in the future.

From Slate Jul. 17, 2017

The apparently aestivating individuals comprising the type series of Hyla smaragdina, and the type of Hylella azteca, which also was found in a bromeliad, were green in life.

From The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacán, México by Duellman, William E.

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