estivation

[ es-tuh-vey-shuh n ]
/ ˌɛs təˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

Zoology. the act of estivating.
Botany. the arrangement of the parts of a flower in the bud.

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Origin of estivation

First recorded in 1615–25; estivate + -ion

Words nearby estivation

estimative, estimator, estipulate, estival, estivate, estivation, estivoautumnal, estlander operation, esto perpetua, estoc, estocada
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for estivation

  • First, it may be remembered that this period corresponds nearly to the active life of the animal before and after estivation.

    Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 2 [February 1901]|Various

  • It was clear that nature was in preparation for her estivation.

    Of All Things|Robert C. Benchley

  • The dry season here is not excessive, nor is there any estivation, as in some tropical countries.

    The Western World|W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for estivation

estivation
/ (ˌiːstɪˈveɪʃən, ˌɛs-) /

noun

the usual US spelling of aestivation
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

Scientific definitions for estivation

estivation
[ ĕs′tə-vā′shən ]

An inactive state resembling deep sleep, in which some animals living in hot climates, such as certain snails, pass the summer. Estivation protects these animals against heat and dryness. Compare hibernation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.