noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A lethargic state that some ectothermic animals, such as many reptiles, assume during cold conditions. Partly analogous to hibernation, but physiological differences include that brumation does not depend on stored fat, but rather on reduced metabolic activity. uncountable

Etymology

From Latin brūma (“winter solstice”) + -tiō, by analogy with hibernation.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.