es·ti·va·tion

also aes·ti·va·tion (ĕs′tə-vā′shən)

1. Zoology A state of dormancy or torpor during a hot dry period.

2. Botany The arrangement of the floral parts in a bud.

3. The act of spending or passing the summer.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

estivation

(ˌiːstɪˈveɪʃən; ˌɛs-)

1. (Botany) the usual US spelling of aestivation

2. (Zoology) the usual US spelling of aestivation

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

es•ti•va•tion

(ˌɛs təˈveɪ ʃən)

n.

the act of estivating.

[1615–25]

es·ti·va·tion

(ĕs′tə-vā′shən)

Zoology

An inactive state resembling deep sleep, in which some animals living in hot climates, such as certain snails, pass the summer. Estivation protects these animals against the heat and dryness of the summer. Compare hibernation.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

estivation, aestivation

Obsolete, summering; the taking of a summer holiday.

See also: Zoology

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	estivation - (zoology) cessation or slowing of activity during the summer; especially slowing of metabolism in some animals during a hot or dry period aestivation zoological science, zoology - the branch of biology that studies animals dormancy, quiescence, quiescency - a state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction; "the volcano erupted after centuries of dormancy"
	2.	estivation - (botany) the arrangement of sepals and petals in a flower bud before it opens aestivation phytology, botany - the branch of biology that studies plants arrangement - an orderly grouping (of things or persons) considered as a unit; the result of arranging; "a flower arrangement" flower bud - a bud from which only a flower or flowers develop

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

On the under story, towards the garden, let it be turned to a grotto, or a place of shade, or estivation. And only have opening and windows towards the garden; and be level upon the floor, no whit sunken under ground, to avoid all dampishness.

View in context

Earthworms can survive periods of drought by making chambers and entering a state of dormancy (or 'estivation') for drought periods up to 3 weeks with low mortality (14%) (McDaniel et al.

Pastures and drought: a review of processes and implications for nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in grassland systems

Uric acid deposits and estivation in the invasive apple snail, Pomacea caniliculata.

Physiology of the Apple Snail Pomacea maculata: Aestivation and Overland Dispersal

Within the Solanaceae, Cyphomandra belongs to the subfamily Solanoideae and tribe Solaneae, characterized by flattened seeds with curved embryos and abundant endosperm, valvate, induplicate, or plicate corolla a estivation, and filaments inserted near the base of the anthers (Bohs 1995).

Reproductive biology of endemic Solanum melissarum Bohs (Solanaceae) and updating of its current geographic distribution as the basis for its conservation in the Brazilian Cerrado/Biologia reprodutiva da endemica Solanum melissarum Bohs (Solanaceae) e atualizacao da distribuicao geografica atual, como base para a sua conservacao no Cerrado Brasileiro

(1) The common earthworm Aporrectodea caliginosa survives drought by forming estivation chambers in the topsoil under even very slight reductions in soil water activity.

LITERATURE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF "EARTHWORM": A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Life in the slow lane: molecular mechanisms of estivation. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology part A.

Phenotypic plasticity in reproductive traits of Helix aperta snails sampled during or after aestivation

Some chambers have steep inclines that kept sleeping Palaeocastors safe from flooding, evidence of a type of mid-summer hibernation called "estivation."

The beaver that didn't give a dam: solving the mystery of the ancient Palaeocastor

A small air hole allows for breathing, especially during estivation.

The cycle of birth, death and rebirth

Ultsch, "Estivation and hibernation," in Environmental Physiology of the Amphibians, M.

Seasonality of freeze tolerance in a subarctic population of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica

Physiological capacity for estivation in the Sonoran mud turtle, Kinosternon sonoriense.

Use of automated radio telemetry to detect nesting activity in ornate box turtles, Terrapene Ornata

Storey, "Glycolytic controls in estivation and anoxia: a comparison of metabolic arrest in land and marine molluscs," Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A, vol.

Stable suppression of lactate dehydrogenase activity during anoxia in the foot muscle of littorina littorea and the potential role of acetylation as a novel posttranslational regulatory mechanism

In reference to amphibian and reptilian digestion, it has been shown that fluctuations in morphology and physiology of amphibian and reptilian digestive tracts occur (e.g., in response to fasting and estivation), thereby possibly stimulating fluctuations in microbial communities in these systems as well.

Analysis and Classification of the intestinal microbiota of the Slimy Salamander by 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing