incubation
[in-kyuh-bey-shuh n, ing-]
- the act or process of incubating.
- the state of being incubated.
- incubation period.
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Origin of incubation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for incubation
Contemporary Examples
And Sherriff and baby Agnes had passed the 21 days incubation period, proving they had not contracted Ebola.
Of course, there are real rules to Ebola, and they have to do with incubation periods, bodily fluids, and other scientific facts.
Given the incubation period of the virus, we should know by the end of the week.
Most cases of Ebola occur after a brief one- to three-day incubation period.
Historical Examples
He replaced the block in the incubation oven and faced the day cheerfully.
Pariah PlanetMurray Leinster
This constitutes what is known as the incubation period, and lasts about ten days.
Rural HygieneHenry N. Ogden
Apparently at this stage of incubation the spheres were harmless.
The Whispering SpheresRussell Robert Winterbotham
The male of Leptocoma zeylanica is said to assist in incubation.
Contributions to the Theory of Natural SelectionAlfred Russel Wallace
I found the general period of incubation from five to six weeks.
Cattle and Cattle-breedersWilliam M'Combie
Word Origin and History for incubation
n.
1610s, "brooding," from Latin incubationem (nominative incubatio) "a laying upon eggs," noun of action from past participle stem of incubare "to hatch," literally "to lie on, rest on," from in- "on" (see in- (2)) + cubare "to lie" (see cubicle). The literal sense of "sitting on eggs to hatch them" first recorded in English 1640s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
incubation
(ĭn′kyə-bā′shən, ĭng′-)- The act of incubating or the state of being incubated.
- The maintenance of controlled environmental conditions for the purpose of favoring the growth or development of microbial or tissue cultures.
- The maintenance of an infant, especially a premature infant, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration in order to provide optimal conditions for growth and development.
- The development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
incubation
[ĭn′kyə-bā′shən]
- The act of warming eggs in order to hatch them, as by a bird sitting upon a clutch of eggs in a nest.
- The act of keeping an organism, a cell, or cell culture in conditions favorable for growth and development.
- 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.
- The development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.