hibernal

/haɪˈbɜrnəl/

Use the adjective hibernal to describe something that has to do with winter, like a grizzly bear's cozy hibernal cave.

You can talk about anything wintry as being hibernal — like the snow-covered hibernal woods — but it most often describes an animal that hibernates during the coldest months. For example, a chipmunk's long, deep winter nap can be called a hibernal sleep. The root of hibernal is the Latin word hibernalis, which means "wintry," from the root hiems, "winter."

Definitions of hibernal

1. adjective

   characteristic of or relating to winter
   synonyms: brumal, hiemal

   wintery, wintry

   characteristic of or occurring in winter