no they are just not reproducing. of course they are alive. they are just inactive.
It is dormant
Dormant is alive, but asleep. Living is alive.
The seeds are dormant but alive.
It is dormant
The grass goes DORMANT during the winter just to come alive again in the spring
it is dormant
It is dormant
Dead means dead. Something dead does not return to life. Dormant means sleeping. Something dormant is waiting for the right circumstances to show itself again. A dead volcano will never again spew lava, but a dormant volcano will burst forth when its pressure builds. The high plains desert in Arizona may appear dead, but it is only dormant; for a brief moment each March it returns to life only to again fade before the burning sun.
Lentils, like all seeds, are not alive in the same way that animals or plants are, as they do not have metabolic processes when dry. However, when lentils are soaked and placed in a suitable environment, they can germinate and grow into new plants, indicating that they contain the potential for life. In their dormant state, they are considered viable seeds rather than living organisms.
Abscisic acid
A seed that is alive but inactive is called dormant. During dormancy, a seed is alive but not actively growing or undergoing any metabolic processes, allowing it to survive under unfavorable conditions until it can germinate when conditions are suitable.
Dormant buds contain small plants that have not bloomed. They may stay inactive in a bud for years at a time.