estivation
noun
es·ti·va·tion
ˌe-stə-ˈvā-shən 
variants
or aestivation
1
zoology
: the state or condition of torpidity or dormancy induced by the heat and dryness of summer : the state of one that is estivating
Some animals, including various species of snakes, land snails, and lizards, enter a state of dormancy, or estivation, in the summer when water is scarce.—
Carrol B. Fleming
Carrol B. Fleming… they [land snails of the genus Cerion] spend most of this time in the warm weather equivalent of hibernation (called estivation), hanging upside down from vegetation or affixed to rocks.—Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould2
usually aestivation botany
: the arrangement or position of the petals or sepals in a flower bud
In practice, aestivation is best observed by making hand sections of mature flower buds …—Michael G. Simpson
Michael G. Simpson… flowers on the same plants or the same stem may exhibit either clockwise or counterclockwise spiral estivations …—Carlos Herrera
compare vernation
Carlos HerreraExamples of estivation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When temperatures reach 113 degrees (45 degrees Celsius) during the dry season, crocodiles will attempt to aestivation — or reduce their body temperature by burying themselves in mud for up to a month without eating, by living off its fat reserves.
—Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2023
Reptiles, amphibians and lungfish also use estivation to ward off long periods of hot weather.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 30 Aug. 2022
But other creatures use a kind of long-term sleep, called estivation, to get them through extreme heat instead.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 30 Aug. 2022
No, not death, Rosalie clarified, but stillness, like hibernation or estivation, waiting for . . .
—Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2023
Warm-weather hibernation, or estivation, is also used by lizards, snails, and turtles.
—Gregory Mone, Discover Magazine, 19 June 2013
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Camille Fine, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2023
Reptiles, amphibians and lungfish also use estivation to ward off long periods of hot weather.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 30 Aug. 2022
But other creatures use a kind of long-term sleep, called estivation, to get them through extreme heat instead.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 30 Aug. 2022
No, not death, Rosalie clarified, but stillness, like hibernation or estivation, waiting for . . .
—Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2023
Warm-weather hibernation, or estivation, is also used by lizards, snails, and turtles.
—Gregory Mone, Discover Magazine, 19 June 2013
Dictionary Entries Near estivation
Cite this Entry
“Estivation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/estivation. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share