hiber-

How bears power-nap as they hibernate.

1. A deep stupor or unconsciousness and reduced organic activity resembling the natural state of inactivity exhibited by certain animal species during winter: "One use of artificial hibernation is the therapeutically produced medical condition that is caused by the use of drugs alone or drugs and hypothermia which greatly reduces the metabolic state (body activities) during surgical procedures; such as, open heart surgery."
2. The act of retiring into inactivity: "The author emerged from his artificial hibernation to produce his first book after several years."
3. An artificially created condition of the retarded vital activity of an organism in warm-blooded animals, including humans, similar to the condition of an organism during the winter: "Artificial hibernation can be created through nerve-blocking techniques which block the neural and endocrine mechanisms of bodily thermoregulation or heat regulation."

1. A place which serves as protection, or shelter, in winter: "Winter quarters; such as, the hibernacle of an animal or a plant."
3. In botany, the winter-quarters of a plant: "A bulb or a bud, in which the embryo of a future plant is in a hibernacle which is an enclosed scaly covering that protects it from damage during winter."

1. The domicile, shelter, or place in which an animal stays in a dormant or sleeping condition during the winter: "The situation of a hedgehog which is snug in its hibernaculum under layers of snow should cause little concern for a naturalist."
2. A protective case, covering, or structure; such as, a plant bud, in which an organism remains dormant for the winter: "Even plants have their forms of hibernacula that protect them during the winter."
3. The winter den, or home, of winter sleeping animals or insects: "There are various hibernacula for creatures that have dormant or sleeping periods; such as, bears, bats, and insects."

1. An indication of the season of the year known as winter: "There are certain hibernal plants and animals that exist in nature."
3. Relating to, or occurring in winter: "Hibernal conditions include winter torpor (inactivity and lack of vigor or energy) in reptiles and winter lethargy (sluggishness) in larger mammals; such as, bears, badgers, skunks, and racoons."

1. To spend the winter in a status of sleep or in an inactive condition: "When a mammal hibernates, its breathing is almost imperceptible, and all of the chemical activities of the body go on very slowly, as it uses food that is stored; such as, fat and glycogen (stored primarily in the liver and broken down into glucose which is a simple sugar that is the primary source of energy when needed by the body)."

"Snapping turtles hibernate deep in the mud at the bottoms of ponds and they stay there until spring comes."

"Slugs hibernate by boring into the ground and secrete a mucus mantle around themselves for protection during periods of unfavorable-environmental winter conditions."

2. To be in a dormant state resembling sleep over the winter while living off the reserves of body fat, with a decrease in body temperature and pulse rate, and slower metabolism: "Animals that hibernate include bears, bats; as well as, many amphibians."

3. To become less active; especially, by staying at home rather than going out to socialize: "There are some people who are hibernating in their houses or apartment with as little contact as possible with other people."

"The old man chose to hibernate or to live in seclusion after he retired from his job."

4. To winter in a place with a milder climate: "Each winter her friends are hibernating in Florida or Hawaii."
6. Etymology: The Latin word hibernare," to winter" and the Latin term hiems was also related to other "winter" or "snow" words; such as, Greek kheima.

The Himalayas are etymologically the "snowy" mountains.

Relating to creatures that have spent the winter months in a condition that is similar to sleep: "The hibernated bears usually stay in the cave until nearly spring."

1. In a state of suspended animation or activity: "Hibernating animals spend the winter in some kind of shelter in a dormant condition; including, bears and certain other animals."
2. A reference to anyone who withdraws or lives in seclusion: "The hibernating man stayed away from any contact with other people except when it was absolutely necessary."

An orbiting spacecraft that has its power plant shut down, then it is reactivated only when signaled from ground control: "Space experts conserve energy for hibernating spacecrafts instead of leaving the power on all the time."

1. A dormant or inactive state resembling deep sleep in which certain animals living in cold climates pass the winter with a sharp reduction in body temperature and metabolism: "There are hibernations that include physiological conditions occurring in some animals in response to cold winter conditions; for example, bears, some bats and birds, snakes, frogs, and some turtles."

"Arctic lemmings are able to avoid severe winter weather by confining their life during winter to activities beneath the snow cover."

Some insects go into hibernation as eggs, larvae, nymphs, pupas, or adults; and since they can stand very low temperatures, few of these forms die if the winter temperatures are within their normal range and even rather fragile forms; such as, some butterflies even survive the winter in low shrubbery, where they may be completely covered by snow and ice for three or four months."

"Winter hibernations among reptiles are similar to the hibernations of mammals; however, instead of experiencing long, sustained periods of inactivity, some hibernating reptiles move around occasionally to drink water; but they may go without food for several months."

"When adders experience temperatures of about 8°–10° C (46°–50° F), they start to look for suitable niches in which to hibernate. Since these conditions vary, the adders' periods of hibernation extends from 275 days in northern Europe to 105 days in southern Europe and is about two weeks in the United Kingdom, where the Gulf Stream provides warmer conditions."

2. The act or condition of passing the winter in a torpid or resting state: "Hibernation protects the animal from cold and reduces the need for food during the winter season when food is scarce."
3. A dormant, sleep-like state characterized by lower body temperature and reduced energy consumption and heart and breathing rates: "In colder climates, snakes find holes or cracks when autumn comes and that's where they sleep in hibernation during the winter; then, when they come out of hibernation, they start hunting for food."

"The term hibernation is often loosely used to indicate any state of sustained torpor, inactivity, or dormancy that an organism might exhibit; however, use of the term should be confined only to warm-blooded homoiotherms—i.e., birds and mammals whose feathers or fur serve as insulation to reduce heat radiating from the body and aid in the maintenance of constant body temperatures, which normally are independent of those of the environment."

"There appears to be a relationship between sleep and hibernation; available evidence suggests that hibernation is entered into from a condition of sleep. If hibernation is to be considered a form of sleep, then it must be considered as a complex one. Hibernation and sleep are somewhat similar in that essential body processes continue during both periods at a lowered level. In sleep, the heart beats less rapidly, and breathing is slower; the body produces less heat, making it necessary for a sleeping person to be protected from the cold."

This Hibernation link has much more interesting information about this topic.

A power-down mode in a computer that provides a quicker start up than usual when turned on again: "The hibernation mode eliminates the need to reboot the operating system from a complete shut down, which often takes much longer."

A substance present in the blood of animals that begins the dormant or sleep-like condition of certain animals during the winter months in cold climates: "Some biochemists believe that there are certain bodily chemicals that cause hibernation-inducing triggers that put some animals into a sleeping condition at the beginning of cold weather."

Any animal which sleeps through the winter: "Cold-blooded hibernators, and even warm-blooded hibernators, can survive with a far greater reduction of their body temperatures."

A rare kind of benign (harmless) tumor that some people have, consisting of brown fat that contains fetal fat tissue closely resembling the fat stored in the foot pads of hibernating animals: "Hibernoma usually involves the shoulder and neck region of young adults."

"The term hibernoma is also called: fetal fat cell lipoma, lipoma fetalocellulare, or brown fat tumor."