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dormant
[ dawr-muhnt ]
/ ĖdÉr mÉnt /
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adjective
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Origin of dormant
First recorded in 1350ā1400; Middle English dorma(u)nt, from Anglo-French, present participle of dormir, from Latin dormÄ«re āto sleepā; see -ant
synonym study for dormant
1, 2. See inactive.
OTHER WORDS FROM dormant
nonĀ·dorĀ·mant, adjectivesemĀ·iĀ·dorĀ·mant, adjectiveWords 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
/ (ĖdÉĖmÉnt) /
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
Derived forms of dormant
dormancy, nounWord 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
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Scientific definitions for dormant
dormant
[ dĆ“rā²mÉnt ]
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
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