dormant

[ dawr-muhnt ]

/ ˈdɔr mənt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR dormant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive, as in sleep; torpid: The lecturer's sudden shout woke the dormant audience.

in a state of rest or inactivity; inoperative; in abeyance: The project is dormant for the time being.

Biology. in a state of minimal metabolic activity with cessation of growth, either as a reaction to adverse conditions or as part of an organism's normal annual rhythm.

undisclosed; unasserted: dormant musical talent.

(of a volcano) not erupting.

Botany. temporarily inactive: dormant buds; dormant seeds.

(of a pesticide) applied to a plant during a period of dormancy: a dormant spray.

Heraldry. (of an animal) represented as lying with its head on its forepaws, as if asleep.

Origin of dormant

1350–1400; Middle English dorma(u)nt < Anglo-French, present participle of dormir < Latin dormīre to sleep; see -ant

SYNONYMS FOR dormant

1, 2 quiescent. See inactive.

4 latent.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR dormant ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR dormant

1 awake, active.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR dormant ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM dormant

non·dor·mant, adjective sem·i·dor·mant, adjective

Words nearby dormant

dorking, dorkland, dorky, dorm, dormancy, dormant, dormer, dormeuse, dormie, dormient, dormin

Example sentences from the Web for dormant

In addition to its million-and-a-half year dormant stretch, the fault line is nearly impossible to see from above.

Cleaning Up From Napa's Winepocalypse |Jordan Salcito |August 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
We reported on the efforts of Dr. Susan Harkema, who is working to “wake up” dormant spinal cord neurons.

The Bionic Exoskeleton Helping Paraplegics Walk |Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD |June 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Is there an innate, yet dormant capacity within the elderly to actually reverse their ailments if only given the right signals?

This Is the Way You’ll Live Forever |Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad |May 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
However, the company could simply file ‘dormant’ accounts that reveal nothing, according to a tax specialist quoted in The Times.

Pippa Middleton Sets Up Her Own Business |Tom Sykes |May 31, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

The Tea Party caucus she helped found to much fanfare in 2011 is now dormant.

Exclusive: Congressional Ethics Probe Adds to Michele Bachmann’s Political Woes |John Avlon |March 25, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
She had the smile called wide, and it lit up her whole face with rare flashes of dormant humor.

The Girl Scouts at Camp Comalong |Lillian Garis
The bulbs should be dormant for four or five months in a dry place with a temperature of about 50.

The Practical Garden-Book |C. E. Hunn
To which he answered in the negative, observing that they were a dormant security.

The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 1/2 |Camden Pelham
What was the state of the case now no one exactly knew; though it was shrewdly suspected that the engagement was only dormant.

Lady Rose's Daughter |Mrs. Humphry Ward
No doubt, dormant within me lies every besetting sin, every human failing.

Athalie |Robert W. Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for dormant

dormant

/ (ˈdɔːmənt) /

adjective

quiet and inactive, as during sleep

latent or inoperative

(of a volcano) neither extinct nor erupting

biology alive but in a resting torpid condition with suspended growth and reduced metabolism

(usually postpositive) heraldry (of a beast) in a sleeping position

Compare active, passive

Derived forms of dormant

dormancy, noun

Word Origin for dormant

C14: from Old French dormant, from dormir to sleep, from Latin dormīre

Scientific definitions for dormant

dormant

[ dôr′mənt ]

Being in an inactive state during which growth and development cease and metabolism is slowed, usually in response to an adverse environment. In winter, some plants survive as dormant seeds or bulbs, and some animals enter the dormant state of hibernation.

Not active but capable of renewed activity. Volcanoes that have erupted within historical times and are expected to erupt again are dormant.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

dormant

adjective

Origin of dormant

SYNONYMS FOR dormant

ANTONYMS FOR dormant

OTHER WORDS FROM dormant

Words nearby dormant

Example sentences from the Web for dormant

British Dictionary definitions for dormant

adjective

Derived forms of dormant

Word Origin for dormant

Scientific definitions for dormant

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

dormant

adjective

Origin of dormant

SYNONYMS FOR dormant

ANTONYMS FOR dormant

OTHER WORDS FROM dormant

Words nearby dormant

Words related to dormant

Example sentences from the Web for dormant

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adjective

Derived forms of dormant

Word Origin for dormant

Scientific definitions for dormant

British Dictionary definitions for dormant