gestation

American  

[je-stey-shuhn] / dʒɛˈsteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the process, state, or period of gestating.

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gestation British  

/ ˈdʒɛstətɪv, dʒɛˈsteɪ-, dʒɛˈsteɪʃən /

noun

1. 1. 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

   2. ( as modifier )

      gestation period

2. the development of an idea or plan in the mind

3. the period of such a development

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gestation Scientific  

/ jĕ-stā′shən /

1. The period of time spent in the uterus between conception and birth. Gestation in humans is about nine months.

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Other Word Forms

• gestational adjective
• gestative adjective
• gestatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of gestation

1525–35; < Latin gestātiōn- (stem of gestātiō ), equivalent to gestāt ( us ) ( gestate ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Gestation is the period of time when something is conceived and developed. The gestation period for human babies lasts nine months. Gestation comes from the Latin gestare, which means to bear, or give birth to. We can talk about the gestation of fetus before it's born, but we also use gestation to talk about ideas. If you've been vaguely thinking about starting a revolution for the last year, then that idea has been in gestation.

Example Sentences

The company says its product, which works solely with bovine breath samples, has detected gestation with 94% accuracy in lab tests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Very young babies rely on antibodies acquired during gestation and herd immunity to protect them from measles, which killed roughly 400 children every year in the U.S. before the combined MMR vaccine’s introduction in 1971.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2025

Birth certificates are not issued for babies born before 24 weeks gestation.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2025

California sea lions typically give birth in June after an 11-month gestation.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025

Instead, it is usually preceded by a long gestation period in which all the hard work is done without finding the key to the solution to the problem.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson