hotbed

American  

[hot-bed] / ˈhɒtˌbɛd /

noun

1. a bottomless, boxlike, usually glass-covered structure and the bed of earth it covers, heated typically by fermenting manure or electrical cables, for growing plants out of season.

2. a place or environment favoring rapid growth or spread, especially of something disliked or unwanted.

   a hotbed of disease.

3. Slang. a bed shared by two or more persons in shifts, each sleeping in it for or at a designated time and then vacating it for the next occupant.

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verb (used without object)

hotbedded, hotbedding

1. Slang. to share a bed in shifts, so that it is always occupied.

hotbed British  

/ ˈhɒtˌbɛd /

noun

1. a glass-covered bed of soil, usually heated by fermenting material, used for propagating plants, forcing early vegetables, etc

2. a place offering ideal conditions for the growth of an idea, activity, etc, esp one considered bad

   a hotbed of insurrection

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Etymology

Origin of hotbed

First recorded in 1620–30; hot + bed

Example Sentences

DALLAS—This city is a hotbed for commercial property.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s also why the flat lands of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta became the earliest hotbeds of curling, which aligned well with the farming season.

From Los Angeles Times

The medical-device contract development and manufacturing sector has been a hotbed for deal activity in recent years—with companies fetching higher multiples to their earnings and revenue in those transactions than Integer’s current implied multiple.

From The Wall Street Journal

Already the West Country is a "hotbed for anaerobic digestion and biogas", according to Matt Hindle, head of Net Zero at Wales and West.

From BBC

California has become a hotbed for developing the technology.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• heart
• hub
• place