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Feb 9, 2010
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dor•mant



Pronunciation: (dôr'munt), [key]
—adj.
1. lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive, as in sleep; torpid: The lecturer's sudden shout woke the dormant audience.
2. in a state of rest or inactivity; inoperative; in abeyance: The project is dormant for the time being.
3. Biol.in a state of minimal metabolic activity with cessation of growth, either as a reaction to adverse conditions or as part of an organism's normal annual rhythm.
4. undisclosed; unasserted: dormant musical talent.
5. (of a volcano) not erupting.
6. Bot.temporarily inactive: dormant buds; dormant seeds.
7. (of a pesticide) applied to a plant during a period of dormancy: a dormant spray.
8. Heraldry.(of an animal) represented as lying with its head on its forepaws, as if asleep.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

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