Dauer

noun

noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A developmental stage of certain nematode larvae in which they exhibit increased durability.

    "When Caenorhabditis elegans larvae enter dauer they arrest feeding but remain active and motile, yet become stress-resistant, extremely long-lived and non-ageing."

Example

More examples

"When Caenorhabditis elegans larvae enter dauer they arrest feeding but remain active and motile, yet become stress-resistant, extremely long-lived and non-ageing."

Etymology

Borrowed from German Dauer (“duration”).

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