Aestivatory

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the dormant state occurring in animals during the summer months, characterized by a period of inactivity and physiological changes
2. Describing a phase in the life cycle of certain species where they enter a state of reduced metabolic activity and rest during hot seasons
3. Pertaining to the behavioral adaptation of some organisms that involves retreating into a quiescent state during the warmest part of the year

Etymology: Latin "aestas" meant "summer," and the related noun "aestus" meant "heat" or the surge of a tide. Together they suggest how the Romans thought of summer: a season defined by burning heat. From "aestas" came the verb "aestivare," meaning to spend the summer, and that verb is the root of "aestivate." The word's adjective form adds the suffix "-ory," from Latin "-orius," which means relating to or serving a purpose. An aestivatory state is therefore one connected with summer dormancy, the condition some animals enter to survive hot, dry months.