aestivate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
-
to pass the summer
-
(of animals such as the lungfish) to pass the summer or dry season in a dormant condition Compare hibernate
Other Word Forms
- aestivation noun
- aestivator noun
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.
In such cases the insect must aestivate rather than hibernate.
From Butterflies Worth Knowing by Weed, Clarence M.
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
