gestate

[ jes-teyt ]
See synonyms for: gestategestatedgestatesgestating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),ges·tat·ed, ges·tat·ing.
  1. to carry in the womb during the period from conception to delivery.

  2. to think of and develop (an idea, opinion, plan, etc.) slowly in the mind.

verb (used without object),ges·tat·ed, ges·tat·ing.
  1. to experience the process of gestating offspring.

  2. to develop slowly.

Origin of gestate

1
First recorded in 1865–70; from Latin gestātus, past participle of gestāre “to carry about, carry in the womb,” frequentative of gerere “to bear, perform”

Words Nearby gestate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gestate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gestate

gestate

/ (ˈdʒɛsteɪt) /


verb
  1. (tr) to carry (developing young) in the uterus during pregnancy

  2. (tr) to develop (a plan or idea) in the mind

  1. (intr) to be in the process of gestating

Origin of gestate

1
C19: back formation from gestation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012