Meanings
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1
verb
to spend a hot or dry period in a dormant or inactive state
Some land snails estivate inside sealed shells until the rains return.
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2
verb
rare or humorous: to spend the summer in a particular place
The professor planned to estivate at a quiet cottage on the coast.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Latin aestivare, 'to spend the summer,' based on aestivus, 'of summer,' and aestas, 'summer.' Estivate is the usual US spelling; aestivate is common in British English. Zoology specialized the verb for summer or dry-season dormancy, the warm-weather counterpart of hibernation.