dormancy

American  

[dawr-muhn-see] / ˈdɔr mən si /

noun

1. the state of being dormant.

---

Etymology

Origin of dormancy

First recorded in 1780–90; dorm(ant) + -ancy

Explanation

A period of inactivity, with no moving or growing, is dormancy. A bear is in a stage of dormancy when it hibernates: both its heart rate and body temperature become very low and it doesn't do much besides sleep. You can describe any state of deep sleep or profound calm and quiet as dormancy, like your weekend of dormancy after an incredibly hectic week at school. It's mainly used in a more scientific way, though, to talk about the dormancy some animals go through in the winter in order to save valuable energy or the dormancy of certain plants during a dry season. Other things that are temporarily inactive, like volcanoes, also experience dormancy.

Example Sentences

She suggests so called "active dormancy" - mixing a slower restful lifestyle with activities that still keep us mentally engaged.

From BBC • Nov. 10, 2025

That goal has come to pass: Something is always blooming in her yard, even during summer dormancy when many native plants go brown or die back to protect themselves from the heat.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2024

Leaving ludicrous Civil War–era laws on the books in their dormancy was easier politically than going out of your way to excise them, just in case.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2024

These types of grapes are typically suited to colder environments and require a period of dormancy with cool temperatures in the winter to grow properly in the summer months.

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2024

Other variation, such as that in seed dispersal mechanisms or seed dormancy, would have gone unrecognized by humans before the rise of modern botany.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond