1. (zoology) cessation or slowing of activity during the summer; especially slowing of metabolism in some animals during a hot or dry period
   "Some desert animals undergo estivation to survive extreme heat";
   - aestivation
    
2. (botany) the arrangement of sepals and petals in a flower bud before it opens
   "The botanist studied the estivation of various species to understand their evolutionary relationships";
   - aestivation

Derived forms: estivations

Type of: arrangement, dormancy, quiescence, quiescency

Part of: flower bud

Encyclopedia: Estivation