incubator
Use Incubator in a sentence
kyəˌbeɪBased on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
incubator (ˈɪnkjʊˌbeɪtə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | med an enclosed transparent boxlike apparatus for housing prematurely born babies under optimum conditions until they are strong enough to survive in the normal environment |
| 2. | a container kept at a constant temperature in which birds' eggs can be artificially hatched or bacterial cultures grown |
| 3. | a person, animal, or thing that incubates |
| 4. | a commercial property, divided into small work units, which provides equipment and support to new businesses |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
incubator in·cu·ba·tor (ĭn'kyə-bā'tər, ĭng'-)
n.
An apparatus in which environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, can be controlled, often used for growing bacterial cultures, hatching eggs artificially, or providing suitable conditions for a chemical or biological reaction.
An apparatus for maintaining an infant, especially a premature infant, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
incubator (ĭn'kyə-bā'tər) Pronunciation Key
|
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
incubator definition
A specialized crib used in caring for infants, in which the temperature and oxygen content of the air can be controlled. Often, babies who are born prematurely will be placed in an incubator until they have become strong enough to be housed in a regular crib.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
incubator
an insulated enclosure in which temperature, humidity, and other environmental conditions can be regulated at levels optimal for growth, hatching, or reproduction. There are three principal kinds of incubators: poultry incubators, infant incubators, and bacteriological incubators.
Learn more about incubator with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
