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dormancy
| Babylon English | Download this dictionary |
dormancy
n.
hibernation; state of inactivity
| English Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia | Download this dictionary |
Dormancy
Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be closely associated with environmental conditions. Organisms can synchronize entry to a dormant phase with their environment through predictive or consequential means. Predictive dormancy occurs when an organism enters a dormant phase before the onset of adverse conditions. For example, photoperiod and decreasing temperature are used by many plants to predict the onset of winter. Consequential dormancy occurs when organisms enter a dormant phase after adverse conditions have arisen. This is commonly found in areas with an unpredictable climate. While very sudden changes in conditions may lead to a high mortality rate among animals relying on consequential dormancy, its use can be advantageous, as organisms remain active longer and are therefore able to make greater use of available resources.
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| WordNet 2.0 | Download this dictionary |
dormancy
Noun
1. a state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction; "the volcano erupted after centuries of dormancy"
(synonym) quiescence, quiescency
(hypernym) inaction, inactivity, inactiveness
(hyponym) hibernation
(attribute) dormant, inactive
2. quiet and inactive restfulness
(synonym) quiescence, quiescency, sleeping
(hypernym) rest, ease, repose, relaxation
(hyponym) vegetation
| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) | Download this dictionary |
Dormancy
(n.)
The state of being dormant; quiescence; abeyance.
The state of being dormant; quiescence; abeyance.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), edited by Noah Porter. About
| Moby Thesaurus | Download this dictionary |
dormancy
Synonyms and related words:
a wise passiveness, abeyance, apathy, catalepsy, catatonia, cold storage, contemplation, contemplative life, deadliness, deathliness, delitescence, do-nothing policy, do-nothingism, do-nothingness, doldrums, entropy, hibernation, idleness, immobility, inaction, inactiveness, inactivity, indifference, indolence, inertia, inertness, intermission, interruption, laissez-aller, laissez-faire, laissez-faireism, languor, latency, latent content, latent meaningfulness, latentness, lotus-eating, lull, meditation, motionlessness, neutralism, neutrality, neutralness, noninvolvement, nonparticipation, nonresistance, nonviolence, nonviolent resistance, pacifism, paralysis, passive resistance, passive self-annihilation, passiveness, passivism, passivity, policy, possibility, potentiality, procrastination, quiescence, quiescency, quietism, stagnancy, stagnation, standpattism, stasis, suspense, suspension, torpor, underactivity, vegetation, virtuality, vis inertiae, vita contemplativa, waiting game, watching and waiting,
a wise passiveness, abeyance, apathy, catalepsy, catatonia, cold storage, contemplation, contemplative life, deadliness, deathliness, delitescence, do-nothing policy, do-nothingism, do-nothingness, doldrums, entropy, hibernation, idleness, immobility, inaction, inactiveness, inactivity, indifference, indolence, inertia, inertness, intermission, interruption, laissez-aller, laissez-faire, laissez-faireism, languor, latency, latent content, latent meaningfulness, latentness, lotus-eating, lull, meditation, motionlessness, neutralism, neutrality, neutralness, noninvolvement, nonparticipation, nonresistance, nonviolence, nonviolent resistance, pacifism, paralysis, passive resistance, passive self-annihilation, passiveness, passivism, passivity, policy, possibility, potentiality, procrastination, quiescence, quiescency, quietism, stagnancy, stagnation, standpattism, stasis, suspense, suspension, torpor, underactivity, vegetation, virtuality, vis inertiae, vita contemplativa, waiting game, watching and waiting,
Source: Moby Thesaurus, which is part of the Moby Project created by Grady Ward. In 1996 Grady Ward placed this thesaurus in the public domain.
