hibernation.

1. A seasonal state of greatly reduced activity and metabolism in certain animals.

2. A low-power state in which a device suspends normal operation while retaining information needed to resume.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• enter hibernation
• winter hibernation

On the page

The animal entered hibernation as the season changed and food became scarce.

Winter hibernation reduced activity but did not turn the animal into a lifeless object.

Usage notes

Primary category: horror / sci-fi / gothic. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: hazard description, speculative setting, bodily condition, scene explanation. Disciplines: genre writing, science-informed description, clinical and safety vocabulary. Commonness: moderately common.