aestivate

[es-tuh-veyt, ee-stuh-]

verb (used without object)

aestivated, aestivating 

1. estivate.

aestivate

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• aestivator noun
• aestivation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of aestivate¹

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

Example Sentences

But like many who came before them, the researchers found no hordes of aestivating mosquitoes.

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

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He found that in the hot summer weather this butterfly goes into a seclusion similar to that of its winter rest—that is, it aestivates in summer and hibernates in winter.

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In summer we had no fear of this creature, as it buries itself in the soil and aestivates during the hot, dry season, and comes forth in wet weather.

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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.

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