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

The virus is contagious only when symptoms appear after an incubation period of two to 21 days.

From Barron's

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

From BBC

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From Los Angeles Times