incubation
incubation Lexical Profile
incubation Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The process of keeping eggs, embryos, or microbial cultures at a controlled, favorable temperature and humidity to promote their development and hatching or growth.
"Emperor penguins take turns keeping their single egg warm during the long winter incubation."
In medicine, the phase during which an infectious pathogen multiplies within a host after initial exposure before the first clinical symptoms of disease appear.
"Because the virus has a two-week incubation, travelers may pass screening without showing any signs of fever."
The slow, gradual, and often subconscious development of an idea, creative project, or early-stage business venture before it is fully realized or launched.
"The university's startup hub provides mentorship and seed funding for technology companies in their early stages of incubation."
• Rhymes for incubation
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Latin 'incubatio' ('a lying or sitting upon'), derived from the verb 'incubare', formed from 'in-' ('upon') and 'cubare' ('to lie down'). In classical antiquity, the term also denoted the religious practice of sleeping in a sacred temple to receive prophetic dreams or divine healing.