Skip to content

dormant

dormant, sleeping

adjective dor-MAHN Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Conditions

Also means

fixed, stationary (in a frame)

Usage Note

Dormant can describe anything temporarily inactive, such as a volcan dormant (dormant volcano) or compte dormant (dormant account). In carpentry and architecture it refers to the fixed part of a frame, as opposed to the moving part (ouvrant). The feminine form is dormante, and the noun dormeur/dormeuse means a sleeper.

Examples

"Le volcan est resté dormant pendant des siècles."

Natural Translation

The volcano remained dormant for centuries.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic