diapause
DY-ah-pawz
A period of suspended development in an insect or other organism, triggered by environmental conditions — usually the onset of cold or drought. The organism effectively pauses its life until conditions improve. Diapause is not sleep; it is a programmed halt, a biological strategy for surviving seasons that cannot be lived through any other way.
Etymology
From Greek diapausis, a pause, from dia- (through) + pausis (a stopping). A stopping-through — a pause that gets you through.
*
Surprise Me With a Word