nt]
| 1. | lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive, as in sleep; torpid: The lecturer's sudden shout woke the dormant audience. |
| 2. | in a state of rest or inactivity; inoperative; in abeyance: The project is dormant for the time being. |
| 3. | 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. |
| 4. | undisclosed; unasserted: dormant musical talent. |
| 5. | (of a volcano) not erupting. |
| 6. | Botany. temporarily inactive: dormant buds; dormant seeds. |
| 7. | (of a pesticide) applied to a plant during a period of dormancy: a dormant spray. |
| 8. | Heraldry. (of an animal) represented as lying with its head on its forepaws, as if asleep. |
dor·mant (dôr'mənt) adj.
[Middle English, from Old French, from present participle of dormir, to sleep, from Latin dormīre.] dor'man·cy n. |
dormant (dôr'mənt) Pronunciation Key
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