[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/dormancy/)

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# dormancy

noun (uncountable)

«dormancy» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A time when a living thing is alive but not active or growing, as in seeds waiting to sprout or animals hibernating. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dormancy/#m1)
2. A time when a volcano or other thing is quiet but could become active again. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dormancy/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science, seeds stay in dormancy until there is water and warmth; trees are dormant in winter; some animals hibernate. In geography, a volcano in dormancy has not erupted for a long time but may erupt again. Phrases: «period of dormancy», «break dormancy».

### Examples

- The seeds stayed in dormancy until the spring rain. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dormancy/#x1)
- Trees lose their leaves and enter dormancy in winter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dormancy/#x2)
- The volcano woke up after centuries of dormancy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dormancy/#x3)
- Bears are in a kind of dormancy during winter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dormancy/#x4)
- Cold weather helps some bulbs break their dormancy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dormancy/#x5)
- After years of dormancy, the old club started meeting again. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dormancy/#x6)

### Note

Uncountable. Adjective: dormant. Comes from French «dormir», to sleep. A dormant volcano is not the same as an extinct one: extinct means it is not expected to erupt again.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «dormancy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dormancy/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«dormancy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/dormancy.html) on Mova free.