hibernate

English

Alternative forms

• hivernate, hybernate (both obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin hībernātus, perfect passive participle of hībernō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from hībernus (“wintry”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪbə(r)ˌneɪt/
  • (Southern England) IPA^(key): [ˈhɑɪbəˌnɛɪt]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪbəɹˌneɪt/, [ˈhäɪbɚˌneɪt]
• (Canada, idle-idol split) IPA^(key): /ˈhʌɪbərˌneɪt/
  • (Ontario) IPA^(key): [ˈhəɪbɚˌne(ɪ)t]

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Verb

hibernate (third-person singular simple present hibernates, present participle hibernating, simple past and past participle hibernated)

1. (intransitive, biology) To spend the winter in a dormant or inactive state of minimal activity, low body temperature, slow breathing and heart rate, and low metabolic rate; to go through a winter sleep.

   Coordinate terms: estivate, brumate

   Hedgehogs and bears are two of the many mammals that hibernate in winter.

   • 2014, Elizabeth Kolbert, chapter 8, in The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Henry Holt and Company:

     Organisms have developed all sorts of ways of dealing with these variations. They hibernate or estivate or migrate.

2. (intransitive) To live in seclusion.
3. (intransitive, computing) To enter a standby state which conserves power without losing the contents of memory.
   • 2001, Microsoft Corp, Use Hibernate and Standby to Conserve Batteries:

     Your computer hibernates after it has been idle for the specified amount of time.

Derived terms

• nonhibernating

Related terms

• hibernacle
• hibernaculum
• hibernal
• hibernation
• hibernator

Translations

spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state

Arabic: أَسْبَتَ (ʔasbata) Armenian: ձմեռային քուն մտնել (jmeṙayin kʻun mtnel) Belarusian: зімава́ць impf (zimavácʹ), перазімава́ць pf (pjerazimavácʹ) Bulgarian: зиму́вам (bg) impf (zimúvam) Catalan: hibernar (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 冬眠 (zh) (dōngmián) Czech: přezimovat (cs) pf Dutch: overwinteren (nl), een winterslaap houden Elfdalian: yvyrwitter Finnish: horrostaa, nukkua talviunta French: hiberner (fr), hiverner (fr) Galician: hibernar Georgian: ზამთრის ძილს მიეცემა (zamtris ʒils miecema), ზამთარს ძილში ატარებს (zamtars ʒilši aṭarebs), გამოიზამთრებს (gamoizamtrebs) German: Winterschlaf halten, überwintern (de) Greek: Ancient Greek: φωλέω (phōléō) Indonesian: hibernasi (id) Interlingua: hibernar Italian: ibernare (it) Japanese: 冬眠する (ja) (とうみんする, tōmin suru) Maori: moe-hōtoke Norwegian: Bokmål: gå i dvale Polish: hibernować impf Portuguese: hibernar (pt) Romanian: hiberna (ro) Russian: зимова́ть (ru) impf (zimovátʹ), перезимова́ть (ru) pf (perezimovátʹ) Slovak: prezimovať pf Spanish: hibernar (es), hibernizar (nonstandard, DPD) Swedish: övervintra (sv) Tagalog: (please verify) itulog sa panahon ng taglamig, mag-hibernate, i-hibernate Thai: จำศีล (th) (jam-sǐin) Turkish: kış uykusuna yatmak (tr) Ukrainian: зимува́ти impf (zymuváty), перезимува́ти pf (perezymuváty) Vietnamese: ngủ đông (vi) Welsh: gaeafgysgu (cy)

live in seclusion

German: zurückgezogen leben, zurückgezogen leben

computer: enter a standby state

Catalan: hibernar (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 休眠 (zh) (xiūmián) Finnish: mennä horrostilaan German: in den Ruhezustand (de) wechseln (de), Ruhezustand einnehmen Maori: moe-hōtoke Persian: خواب زمستانی (fa)

See also

• oversummer
• overwinter

Anagrams

• breathe in, inbreathe

Latin

Verb

hībernāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of hībernō

Spanish

Verb

hibernate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of hibernar combined with te