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• aestivate •

Pronunciation: es-tê-vayt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, intransitive.

Meaning: 1. Spend the summer, to summer somewhere. 2. To spend the summer in a dormant state (antonym of hibernate). Bears hibernate through the winter to avoid the seasonal severity; desert amphibians aestivate in the summer for the same reason.

Notes: You may, if it pleases you, omit the initial A in today's Good Word: estivate is as good as aestivate. The ae ligature (æ) is a hold-over from Latin, probably indicating the same pronunciation as the A in bat ([bæt] in our pronunciation guide). The act of aestivating is aestivation and a more Latiny adjective for adjectival summer or summery is aestival. Aestival also forms a seasonal group with hibernal "winter(y)", autumnal "fall(-like)", and vernal "spring(-like)".

In Play: Does summer in the phrase, "I summer on the Côte d'Azur," strike you as beneath the dignity of Côte d'Azur—and the amount of money you spend there? Then try, "I aestivate each year on the Côte d'Azur" and impress your friends even more. If your school is out for the summer but you are the only one of your clique without a job, impress them with, "I will be aestivating this summer." Of course, unless you can aestivate on the Côte d'Azur, you should keep looking for a job.

Word History: Today's Good Word comes from Latin aestivare "to summer somewhere" from aestas "summer" with the same root as aestus "heat". Akin to Sanskrit inddhe "it ignites", Greek aithos "fire", and Old High German eiten "to heat", which gave Modern German Hitze "heat." The same Proto-Germanic root that produced German Hitze came up heat in English. (Speaking of which, we hope Katy Brezger keeps up the heat on finding words like today's for our Good Word series.)

• aestivate •
2. [/b]To spend the summer in a dormant state (antonym of hibernate). Bears hibernate through the winter to avoid the seasonal severity; desert amphibians aestivate in the summer for the same reason.

So, how opposite does the word have to be to be an antonym? Or do I misconstrue the meaning of antonym?

What I'm getting at is that the underlying meaning seems to be the same for these verbs; something is dormant during a certain period.

If this isn't really an antonym, what would we call it?

Also suggested by without the A at: http://www.alphadictionary.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2431

I am aware of a number of people who aestivate in the
Great Plains in Summer, and Hibernate in Florida and
Arizona in winter. I have friends who care for their plants
and wind their clocks, bring in the mail etc. But they
never use the words. It's simply "We winter in Florida,
and Summer up North".

I aestivate and hibernate in North Carolina. But I do try not to vegetate.

So Luke, why do you want us to draw you a sheep?

Hi, Perry.
Nice to find a friendly person here. The sheep business
is just a signature. I came to this site from another site
which died, and used it there. I taught French years
ago in high school, was primarily a grammar teacher in
English, but had the qualifications. And I used the
book by Antoine De Saint Exupéry in Second Year French.
It is a small little book, about 96 pages. Has been made
into a Movie with Gene Wilder, et.al., and a newer version
has treble singer (boy-soprano) Joseph McManners in
the part of the prince. The Prince is searching for a way
to please the rose which grows on his planet, and is
traveling the universe for an answer. He encounters
a stranded pilot on earth and that is the first question
he makes of the pilot. It's just a signature, but has
acquired a number of questions, even on this site earlier.
Thanks so much for asking and for the repartee.


http://books.google.com/books?id=vlr0uq ... q=&f=false


or just google "The Little Prince".

I know The Little Prince. I just didn't make the connect.

I recall a movie scene with Gene Wilder where he has a romance with a sheep. Maybe it was in Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex?

Yup! that is where that scene was found. There are
actually no sheep in "Prince' only a drawing. But with
Gene Wilder you never know. Maybe all he needed was
the fantasy. Funny, though.

I remember that movie well!

As I recall Wilder's character ended up on Skid Row drinking a bottle of Woolite.

I'd forgotten that scene. Maybe it's time to go and
get that movie again for the sheer thrill of enjoyment.