gestation
[je-stey-shuh n]
- the process, state, or period of gestating.
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Origin of gestation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for gestation
Contemporary Examples
She had supported Stern when his own career had first been in gestation and then later in free-fall.
He specifically defends the use of “gestation crates”— tiny pens where pregnant pigs live before giving birth.
The term “gestation,” for instance, is derived from the Latin verb gestāre, used to describe a mammal carrying a burden.
How, then, can gestation happen if no one is carrying the fetus?
For the early Jewish sages, during the first 40 days of gestation, the fetus was nothing more than “mere fluid.”
Historical Examples
Sparrman says that the period of gestation is twelve months.
Delineations of the Ox TribeGeorge Vasey
It tells how a pregnant woman should live during the period of gestation.
The development of the ovule in the womb is known as gestation or pregnancy.
SexHenry Stanton
Her icy silence did not detract from the delights of his gestation.
The Dwelling Place of Light, CompleteWinston Churchill
The period of gestation in both these apes is a matter that cannot be stated with certainty.
Gorillas & ChimpanzeesR. L. Garner
gestation
- the development of the embryo of a viviparous mammal, between conception and birth: about 266 days in humans, 624 days in elephants, and 63 days in cats
- (as modifier)gestation period
- the development of an idea or plan in the mind
- the period of such a development
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin gestātiō a bearing, from gestāre to bear, frequentative of gerere to carry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for gestation
n.
1530s, "riding on horseback, etc., as a form of exercise," from Latin gestationem (nominative gestatio) "a carrying," noun of action from gestare "bear, carry, gestate," frequentative of gerere (past participle gestus) "to bear, carry, bring forth" (see gest). Meaning "action or process of carrying young in the womb" is from 1610s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gestation
(jĕ-stā′shən)- The period of fetal development from conception until birth; pregnancy.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
gestation
[jĕ-stā′shən]
- The period of time spent in the uterus between conception and birth. Gestation in humans is about nine months.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.