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# torpor

«torpor» in Mova's school dictionary: **a state of being very sleepy, slow and inactive, without…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (torpor — uncountable)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Torpor is a state of being very sleepy, slow and inactive, without energy: "The heat filled us with torpor." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torpor/#m1)

2) (science) In animals, torpor is a short sleep-like state when body temperature and heartbeat drop to save energy, for example in hummingbirds at night, bats and some mice; long-lasting torpor in winter is called hibernation. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torpor/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons it comes with adaptations and survival in cold or lack of food. In stories and formal writing, torpor describes a lazy, heavy mood on a hot afternoon or after a big meal. Phrases: "fall into torpor", "summer torpor", "a state of torpor".

### examples

- Hummingbirds go into torpor at night to save energy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torpor/#x1)
- After the huge Christmas lunch, the whole family sank into torpor. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torpor/#x2)
- Bats can enter torpor on cold days. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torpor/#x3)
- The heat of the afternoon filled the classroom with torpor. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torpor/#x4)
- Hibernation is a long kind of torpor. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torpor/#x5)
- The dog lay in a happy torpor by the fire. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torpor/#x6)
- The sudden noise shook him out of his torpor. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torpor/#x7)

### note

Uncountable, formal. Adjective: torpid. Pronounced "TOR-per". Torpor lasts hours or days; hibernation lasts weeks or months.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «torpor» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/torpor/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.