hibernaculum

noun

hi·​ber·​nac·​u·​lum ˌhī-bər-ˈna-kyə-ləm 

plural hibernacula ˌhī-bər-ˈna-kyə-lə 

: a shelter occupied during the winter by a dormant animal (such as an insect, snake, bat, or marmot)

Did you know?

If you're afraid of snakes or bats, you probably won't enjoy thinking about a hibernaculum, where hundreds, even thousands, of these creatures might be passing the wintry months. Other creatures also use hibernacula, though many of these tend to be a bit inconspicuous. The word hibernaculum has been used for the burrow of a woodchuck, for instance, as well as for a cozy caterpillar cocoon attached to a wintry twig, and for the spot in which a frog has buried itself in the mud. Hibernacula are all around us and have been around for a long, long time, but we have only called them such since 1789. In case you are wondering, "hibernate" didn't come into being until the beginning of the 19th century. Both words come from Latin hibernare, meaning "to pass the winter."

Examples of hibernaculum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Apart from garter snakes, which are known to cluster together in their hundreds in what’s called a hibernaculum during the winter months, most snakes are solo actors. —New Atlas, 21 July 2024

At the time, Masing had begun researching another understudied hibernaculum: root cellars. —Corey Buhay, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2024

Where do Snakes Hibernate? Snakes usually hibernate in what scientists call a hibernaculum, aka a den. —Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2023

At one point, the cave served as a haven for turtles to wait out the winter, a type of burrow called a hibernaculum. —Brendan Gibbons, San Antonio Express-News, 17 Dec. 2017

In the eastern U.S., bat wintering areas, called hibernacula, have seen white-nose syndrome losses ranging from 90 to 100 percent, usually peaking several years after the disease is first seen. —John Myers, Twin Cities, 11 Mar. 2017

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, winter residence, from hibernare

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined above

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