hibernaculum

[hahy-ber-nak-yuh-luh m]

noun, plural hi·ber·nac·u·la

[hahy-ber-nak-yuh-luh] /ˌhaɪ bərˈnæk yə lə/.

a protective case or covering, especially for winter, as of an animal or a plant bud.
winter quarters, as of a hibernating animal.

Also hi·ber·nac·le

[hahy-ber-nak-uh l] /ˈhaɪ bərˌnæk əl/.

Origin of hibernaculum

1690–1700; < Latin hībernāculum winter residence, equivalent to hībernā(re) (see hibernate) + -culum -cule²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hibernaculum

Historical Examples of hibernaculum

Young caterpillar with hibernaculum (h); caterpillar and chrysalis.
The Butterflies of the British Isles
Richard South
Soil temperatures were taken in the present study only when the turtle was in a form, hibernaculum, or den.
Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz
John M. Legler
There is little movement during dormancy except for the deepening or horizontal extension of the hibernaculum.
Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz
John M. Legler
Hibernaculum: a tent or sheath made out of a leaf or other material in which a larva hides or hibernates.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
When the hibernaculum is finished the seam is perfectly smooth and the hole inside is lined with silk.
Butterflies Worth Knowing
Clarence M. Weed

British Dictionary definitions for hibernaculum

hibernaculum

hibernacle (ˈhaɪbəˌnækəl)

noun plural -ula (-jʊlə) or -les rare

the winter quarters of a hibernating animal
the protective case or covering of a plant bud or animal

Word Origin for hibernaculum

C17: from Latin: winter residence; see hibernate

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

hibernaculum in Science

hibernaculum

[hī′-bər-năk′yə-ləm]

A protective case, covering, or structure, such as a plant bud, in which an organism remains dormant for the winter.
The shelter of a hibernating animal.