hibernation
noun
- physiological state of dormant inactivity in order to pass the winter season
- mode of operation in spacecraft for low power consumption
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃən/ / [ˌhaɪ.bəːˈneɪ.ʃn̩] / /ˌhaɪ.bəɹˈneɪ.ʃən/
noun
Etymology: From Latin hībernātus, from hībernō, from hībernus (“wintry, of or pertaining to winter”).
- A state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in some animals during winter.
“The bears are in hibernation.”
“The bears come out of hibernation in March.”
- A hypothetical state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in humans during long space flights.
- A standby state which conserves power by writing the contents of the memory to disk and completely power off the computer, in order that one will resume the session from the disk.