Hibernate
/ˈhaɪ.bə.neɪt/noun
To spend the winter in a dormant or inactive state.
Did you know?Hibernate comes from Latin hibernare, tied to hiems meaning “winter,” and it was first used for animals long before people used it metaphorically for hiding, resting, or going dormant.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰyem-
“winter, the cold season”
Latin
Latin
hiems
“winter”
Latin
Latin
hibernare
“to pass the winter, to winter”
16th Century
English
hibernate
“to spend the winter in a dormant state, especially of animals”
Modern English
English
hibernate
“to become inactive or withdraw for a period, especially during winter”