dormant: Meaning and Definition of

dor•mant

1. lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive, as in sleep; torpid: The lecturer's sudden shout woke the dormant audience.
2. in a state of rest or inactivity; inoperative; in abeyance: The project is dormant for the time being.
3. in a state of minimal metabolic activity with cessation of growth, either as a reaction to adverse conditions or as part of an organism's normal annual rhythm.
4. undisclosed; unasserted: dormant musical talent.
5. (of a volcano) not erupting.
6. temporarily inactive: dormant buds; dormant seeds.
7. (of a pesticide) applied to a plant during a period of dormancy: a dormant spray.
8. (of an animal) represented as lying with its head on its forepaws, as if asleep.