brumation

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noun

A lethargic state that some ectothermic animals, such as many reptiles, assume during cold conditions. Partly analogous to hibernation, but physiological differences include that brumation does not depend on stored fat, but rather on reduced metabolic activity.

OriginLatin brūma →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounbrumation (uncountable)
  1. uncountablebiologyA lethargic state that some ectothermic animals, such as many reptiles, assume during cold conditions. Partly analogous to hibernation, but physiological differences include that brumation does not depend on stored fat, but rather on reduced metabolic activity.

Origin

  1. Latinbrūma“winter solstice”
  2. Englishbrumation

From Latin brūma (“winter solstice”) + -tiō, by analogy with hibernation.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

tambourinumbration
Cite this entry
APA

brumation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brumation

MLA

“brumation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brumation. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brumation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brumation.

Source: brumation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.