incubation

[ in-kyuh-bey-shuhn, ing- ]
See synonyms for incubation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act or process of incubating.

  2. the state of being incubated.

Origin of incubation

1
First recorded in 1605–15, incubation is from the Latin word incubātiōn- (stem of incubātiō). See incubate, -ion

Other words from incubation

  • in·cu·ba·tion·al, in·cu·ba·to·ry [in-kyuh-buh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, ing-], /ˈɪn kyə bəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˈɪŋ-/, adjective

Words Nearby incubation

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

How to use incubation in a sentence

Scientific definitions for incubation

incubation

[ ĭn′kyə-bāshən ]


  1. The act of warming eggs in order to hatch them, as by a bird sitting upon a clutch of eggs in a nest.

  2. The act of keeping an organism, a cell, or cell culture in conditions favorable for growth and development.

  1. The maintenance of an infant, especially one that is ill or born before the usual gestation period, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration in order to provide optimal conditions for growth and development.

  2. The development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear.

Other words from incubation

  • incubate verb

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