incubation period

noun

Pathology.

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

incubation period

noun

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

incubation period

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of incubation period¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The incubation period can stretch from several days to three weeks.

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This is the most serious form of the plague and can have an incubation period of just one day.

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The incubation period was delayed a bit as Jackie waited to deliver all her eggs.

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Listeria is unusually hard to trace after an outbreak because it has a long incubation period — the CDC says it can take up to 10 weeks for some people to develop symptoms.

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The pair were married three years later, and Feminella launched his dating app First Round’s on Me nationwide in August after a four-year incubation period.

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