Meaning & use
Estivate
Last updated
To spend a hot or dry period in a dormant, inactive state, as certain animals do.
See it in a sentence
Lungfish estivate in dried mud during the driest months of the year.
Some snails estivate by sealing themselves inside their shells until the rains return.
A note on using this word
The summer counterpart to 'hibernate'; it is also spelled 'aestivate', reflecting its Latin root 'aestas', meaning summer.
Words with a similar meaning
aestivate
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