overwinter

English

Etymology

over- +‎ winter

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌəʊ.vəˈwɪn.tə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌoʊ.vɚˈwɪn.tɚ/

  • Audio (US)

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Verb

overwinter (third-person singular simple present overwinters, present participle overwintering, simple past and past participle overwintered)

1. (transitive) To keep or preserve for the winter.

   It is best to overwinter tender plants indoors.

   • 2014, Philip Hasheider, Samantha Johnson, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Farming, page 114:

     Well, if you're fortunate, you'll be able to overwinter your bees and keep them alive during the winter months.

   • 2014 April 8, Helen Yemm, “Thorny problems: How can I revive a forsythia hedge? [print version 5 April 2014, p. G9]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Gardening)‎^[1], London:

     We overwinter our blueberry bushes in an unheated greenhouse, but when re-tubbed this year they will be too big to move. What are their chances of surviving winter outside?

2. (intransitive) To spend the winter (in a particular place).
   • 1975, Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System:

     Fish only overwinter in streams having a sufficient source of groundwater.

   • 2011, Bob Gibbons, Field Guide to Insects of Britain and Northern Europe:

     Different insects also differ in the way in which they overwinter. Most insects overwinter as eggs or pupae, but others overwinter as larvae or nymphs, whilst quite a few hibernate in the adult phase.

   Insects may overwinter in fallen fruit if it is not removed.

   • 2012, Marie Iannotti, The Beginner's Guide to Growing Heirloom Vegetables:

     'Early Purple Sprouting' broccoli is so hardy you can let it overwinter and it rewards you with—yes, you guessed it—early purple sprouts that are tender and delicious.

Coordinate terms

• oversummer

Translations

to keep or preserve for the winter

• Czech: přezimovat (cs)
• Dutch: laten overwinteren
• Georgian: გამოიზამთრებს (gamoizamtrebs)
• German: überwintern (de)
• Japanese: 冬越しさせる (fuyugoshi saseru)
• Scottish Gaelic: geamhraich
• Spanish: invernar (es)
• Welsh: gaeafa

to spend the winter (in a particular place)

• Catalan: hivernar (ca)
• Czech: přezimovat (cs)
• Dutch: overwinteren (nl)
• Finnish: talvehtia (fi)
• Georgian: გამოიზამთრებს (gamoizamtrebs)
• German: überwintern (de)
• Japanese: 冬越しする (fuyugoshi suru)
• Scottish Gaelic: geamhraich
• Spanish: hibernar (es), invernar (es)
• Swedish: övervintra (sv)
• Welsh: gaeafa, bwrw'r gaeaf

See also

• snowbird

Adjective

overwinter (not comparable)

1. Occurring over the winter season.
   • 1996, Marek Jacek Krasowski, Measures to Reduce Overwinter Injury to Planted Spruce in Boreal Forest of British Columbia, page 4:

     The effect of seedling size on overwinter injury was analyzed separately by analysis of covariance.

   • 2012, Issues in Global Environment:

     Overwinter survival ranged from 0% to 100% and increased with increasing fall total length and winter temperatures among all cohorts and reservoirs.

   • 2013, David R. Williams, Robert G. Pople, David A. Showler, Bird Conservation:

     A replicated site comparison study on 1, 031 agricultural sites across England in 2004–2008 (29) found that in three out of four year-on-year comparisons, grey partridge Perdix perdix density changes and overwinter survival were higher on sites under agri-environment schemes, than on sites not under schemes (density changes were more positive on agri-environment scheme sites than non-agi-environment scheme sites in all comparisons except 2007-2008; overwinter survival was higher for all except 2006-2007).

Adverb

overwinter (not comparable)

1. During the winter.
   • 1968, Earl F. Aldon, Detrimental Effect of Russian thistle on Semidesert Range in West Central New Mexico:

     Ground cover of perennial grasses declined seriously under plots covered overwinter with dead thistle plants.

   • 1985, Technologies to Benefit Agriculture and Wildlife, page 63:

     Moreover, each year of continuous corn cropping the corn stover would be turned under by fall plowing in preparation for the next spring planting, leaving the land bare overwinter.

   • 2014, Lee Hannah, Climate Change Biology, page 95:

     The copepod Thermocyclops oithonoides rests overwinter as copepodids in lake mud in the Mugglesee and other lakes in Europe.

Anagrams

• winterover