noun
incubation
ihnk-yoo-BAY-shuhn
noun
1
The process of keeping eggs warm so they can develop and hatch.
"Chicken eggs need about 21 days of incubation before hatching."
2
The period during which a disease develops in the body before symptoms appear.
"The virus has an incubation period of roughly five days."
How to Use Incubation
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA period of quiet development before something (an egg, an idea, a disease) becomes fully formed or visible.
Common pairings
incubation period
egg incubation
Word Forms
incubations plural
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Chicken eggs need about 21 days of _____ before hatching.
Etymology
From Latin incubātiō, from incubāre ("to lie on, brood over").