hibernate

English

Alternative forms

• hivernate, hybernate (both obsolete)

Etymology

From Latin hībernātus, from hībernāre, from hībernus (“winter”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪbə(r)ˌneɪt/
  • (Southern England) IPA^(key): [ˈhɑɪbəˌnɛɪt]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪbərˌneɪt/, [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 term: estivate

   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.

Related terms

• hibernal
• hibernation
• hibernator

Translations

spend winter time in a dormant or inactive state

• Arabic: أَسْبَتَ (ʔasbata)
• Armenian: ձմեռային քուն մտնել (jmeṙayin kʿun 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: please add this translation if you can

• Polish: hibernować impf
• Portuguese: hibernar (pt)
• Romanian: hiberna (ro)
• Russian: зимова́ть (ru) impf (zimovátʹ), перезимова́ть (ru) pf (perezimovátʹ)
• Slovak: prezimovať pf
• Spanish: hibernar (es)
• Swedish: övervintra (sv)
• Thai: จำศีล (jam-sǐin)
• Turkish: kış uykusuna yatmak (tr)
• Ukrainian: зимува́ти impf (zymuváty), перезимува́ти pf (perezymuváty)
• Vietnamese: ngủ đông (vi)
• Welsh: gaeafgysgu (cy)

live in seclusion

computer: enter a standby state

• Catalan: hibernar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 休眠 (zh) (xiūmián)

• Finnish: mennä horrostilaan
• German: in den Ruhezustand (de) wechseln (de)
• 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