Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

dormant

 - 3 dictionary results

dor⋅mant

  [dawr-muhnt]
Use dormant in a Sentence
–adjective
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.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME dorma(u)nt < AF, prp. of dormir < L dormīre to sleep; see -ant

Synonyms:
1, 2. quiescent. See inactive. 4. latent.

Antonyms:
1. awake, active.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dormant
dor·mant   (dôr'mənt)   
adj.  

  1. Lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive.

  2. Latent but capable of being activated: "a harrowing experience which . . . lay dormant but still menacing" (Charles Jackson).

  3. Temporarily quiescent: a dormant volcano. See Synonyms at inactive, latent.

  4. In a condition of biological rest or inactivity characterized by cessation of growth or development and the suspension of many metabolic processes.


[Middle English, from Old French, from present participle of dormir, to sleep, from Latin dormīre.]
dor'man·cy n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

dormant 
c.1386, from O.Fr. dormant, prp. of dormir "to sleep," from L. dormire "to sleep," from I.E. base *dre- "to sleep" (cf. O.C.S. dremati "to sleep, doze," Gk. edrathon "I slept," Skt. drati "sleeps").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see dormant on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way