/dawr"meuhnt/ , adj.
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. Biol. 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. Bot. temporarily inactive: dormant buds; dormant seeds.
7. (of a pesticide) applied to a plant during a period of dormancy: a dormant spray.
8. Heraldry. (of an animal) represented as lying with its head on its forepaws, as if asleep.
[ 1350-1400; ME dorma ( u ) nt dormir dormire to sleep; see -ANT ]
Syn. 1, 2. quiescent. See inactive. 4. latent.
Ant. 1. awake, active.