noun
gestation
jehs-TAY-shuhn
noun
1
The period during which an unborn baby or animal develops inside the mother before birth.
"Human gestation lasts about nine months."
"Elephants have one of the longest gestation periods of any mammal."
2
The gradual development of a plan, idea, or project before it is finished or made public.
"The novel spent years in gestation before she finally started writing it."
How to Use Gestation
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe time a baby (or an idea) spends developing before it "arrives."
Common pairings
gestation period
in gestation
Word Forms
gestations plural
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Human _____ lasts about nine months.
Etymology
A learned borrowing from Latin gestatio, related to gestare, "to carry" — the same idea as physically carrying a child.