A state of inactivity or suspended development, often temporary. It describes a period when something is present but not active or growing.
From Latin 'dormire,' meaning 'to sleep,' through the adjective 'dormant.' The biological sense developed in the 18th century, extending the sleep metaphor to describe inactive states in plants, animals, and other systems.
Think of a dormitory where students sleep - dormancy is like a deep sleep for plants, volcanoes, or even ideas! This word appears frequently in science passages about biological cycles.
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