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dormant

[ dawr-muhnt ]
/ ˈdɔr mənt /
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adjective
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Origin of dormant

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English dorma(u)nt, from Anglo-French, present participle of dormir, from Latin dormÄ«re ā€œto sleepā€; see -ant

synonym study for dormant

1, 2. See inactive.

OTHER WORDS FROM dormant

nonĀ·dorĀ·mant, adjectivesemĀ·iĀ·dorĀ·mant, adjective

Words nearby dormant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dormant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dormant

dormant
/ (ˈdɔːmənt) /

adjective
quiet and inactive, as during sleep
latent or inoperative
(of a volcano) neither extinct nor erupting
biology alive but in a resting torpid condition with suspended growth and reduced metabolism
(usually postpositive) heraldry (of a beast) in a sleeping position
Compare active, passive

Derived forms of dormant

dormancy, noun

Word Origin for dormant

C14: from Old French dormant, from dormir to sleep, from Latin dormīre
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for dormant

dormant
[ dĆ“r′mənt ]

Being in an inactive state during which growth and development cease and metabolism is slowed, usually in response to an adverse environment. In winter, some plants survive as dormant seeds or bulbs, and some animals enter the dormant state of hibernation.
Not active but capable of renewed activity. Volcanoes that have erupted within historical times and are expected to erupt again are dormant.
The American HeritageĀ® Science Dictionary Copyright Ā© 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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