hibernate

Everyday

1. Of an animal: to spend the winter in a deep sleep-like state, with the body slowed down and cold, to save energy. tree →
2. (of a computer) To switch to a power-saving state that keeps your work. tree →

In the lessons

In science, hibernation is an adaptation to winter, when food is scarce: hedgehogs, dormice, bats, some squirrels and frogs hibernate; the heart beats slowly and the body lives on stored fat. Bears go into a lighter winter sleep. If you find a hibernating animal, do not wake it. Phrases: «go into hibernation», «hibernate through the winter».

Examples

• Hedgehogs hibernate in piles of leaves. tree →
• Before they hibernate, animals eat lots of food. tree →
• Bats hibernate in caves and lofts. tree →
• A hibernating animal breathes very slowly. tree →
• Don't disturb a hibernating hedgehog in a bonfire pile — check before lighting it! tree →
• Bears sleep through the winter, but not as deeply as true hibernators. tree →
• Some frogs hibernate in mud at the bottom of ponds. tree →
• I wish I could hibernate until the summer! tree →

Note

Noun: «hibernation». Not just «sleep»: the body temperature drops and the animal is very hard to wake. In hot dry places, some animals do the same in summer; that is called «aestivation» (estivation).