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estivate

American  
[es-tuh-veyt] / ˈɛs təˌveɪt /

verb (used without object)

estivated, estivating
  1. to spend the summer, as at a specific place or in a certain activity.

  2. Zoology. to spend a hot, dry season in an inactive, dormant state, as certain reptiles, snails, insects, and small mammals.


estivate British  
/ ˈɛs-, ˈiːstɪˌveɪt /

verb

  1. (intr) the usual US spelling of aestivate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of estivate

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin aestīvātus, past participle of aestīvāre “to reside during the summer” (akin to aestīvus “of or relating to summer”); see -ate 1

Vocabulary lists containing estivate

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.

See Examples For:

Animals that hibernate or estivate enter a state known as torpor: a condition in which their metabolic rate is significantly lowered.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

Some animals hibernate or estivate to survive hostile temperatures.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

The breathing and heart rate would slow as it begins estivating.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

Its breathing and heart rate would slow as it begins estivating.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

The breathing and heart rate would increase as it begins estivating.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

The breathing and heart rate would slow as it begins estivating.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

But with the decline of musicomedy and the growth of the straw-hat theatre, producers took to estivating.

From Time Magazine Archive

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