incubation period

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. the period between infection and the appearance of signs of a disease.

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incubation period British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: incubation.  med the time between exposure to an infectious disease and the appearance of the first signs or symptoms

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incubation period Cultural  

1. The amount of time it takes for symptoms of a disease to appear after an individual is infected (see infection) with the pathogen that causes the disease.

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Etymology

Origin of incubation period

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

“Of course, the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.”

From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026

Provincial health official Juan Petrina said there was an "almost zero chance" the Dutch man linked to the outbreak contracted the disease in Ushuaia based on the virus's incubation period, among other factors.

From Barron's • May 10, 2026

If a person was at high risk of exposure, she said, that person would likely be asked to have no contact with any other person until the roughly six-week incubation period has passed.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

Complete isolation would be gruelling - the virus has an incubation period of up to nine weeks - and it is not clear how long people in Spain or elsewhere will be quarantined.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

When a. filovirus begins to amplify itself in a human being, the incubation period is from three to eighteen days, while the number of virus particles climbs steadily in the bloodstream.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston