Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

semi-hibernation

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.00 in modern English

Syllables: semi-hiber-na-tion
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

4

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A state of reduced power consumption, and metabolic activity in animals during winter, but to a lesser degree than true hibernation.

Example Sentences

"Should a warm day soon follow this untoward excitement, the after effects are to a certain extent modified, as a good cleansing flight can be taken; but when the cold still continues, the bees never again being able to regain their former state of semi-hibernation, drag out their existence wandering aimlessly about, and die at a rapid rate each day adding to the accumulating filth of the hive."
"They are fed exclusively on insects which are caught on the wing by the parents; if there is a spell of bad weather the parents cannot collect their insects, the young swifts starve, lose their temperature regulation and go into a sort of semi-hibernation at a very low body temperature."

Etymology

From semi- + hibernation.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: semi

Inflected Forms

semi-hibernations (plural)

Questions

What does semi-hibernation mean?: A state of reduced power consumption, and metabolic activity in animals during winter, but to a lesser degree than true hibernation.
Where does semi-hibernation come from?: From semi- + hibernation.

How to pronounce semi-hibernation

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