aestivation
/ˌiːstɪˈveɪʃən/ noun
Forms aestivations æstivation estivation
- noun (biology) A state of inactivity and metabolic depression during summer: the summer version of hibernation.
- noun (botany) The arrangement (vernation) of the parts of a flower inside a bud; prefloration.
- noun (obsolete) The spending or passing of a summer.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin aestīvātiō, from Latin aestīvō, aestīvāre (“to spend or pass the summer in a place”), from aestīvus (“of or pertaining to summer”), from aestās (“summer”) + -īvus.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The state of torpidity induced by the heat and dryness of summer, as in certain snails; --opposed to hibernation.
- noun The arrangement of the petals in a flower bud, as to folding, overlapping, etc.; prefloration. Gray. [Spelt also estivation.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “aestivation”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details