estivate

verb

es·​ti·​vate ˈe-stə-ˌvāt 

variants or aestivate

estivated or aestivated; estivating or aestivating; estivates or aestivates

intransitive verb

1

zoology : to pass the summer in a state of torpor or dormancy

Snails combat desiccation by estivating, that is, burrowing into the mud and sealing up the shell with mucus until conditions improve.

—Mark Woolhouse

compare hibernate

2

: to spend the summer usually at one place

… I asked him to Skype in from the Connecticut coastline, where he is estivating while on a prestigious writing fellowship …

—Glen Weldon

Examples of estivate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Depending on the species, African lungfish estivate after burrowing into the soil to find permanent moisture, or even secreting their own comfy mucus onesie. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

estivate

verb

es·​ti·​vate

variants also aestivate

ˈes-tə-ˌvāt

estivated; estivating

: to pass the summer in an inactive or resting state

estivation noun

also aestivation

ˌes-tə-ˈvā-shən

Medical Definition

estivate

intransitive verb

es·​ti·​vate

variants or aestivate

-ˌvāt 

estivated; estivating

: to pass the summer in a state of torpor or dormancy compare hibernate