'Incubate' definitions:
Definition of 'incubate'
From: WordNet
Definition of 'Incubate'
From: GCIDE
- Incubate \In"cu*bate\, v. i. & t. [imp. & p. p. Incubated; p. pr. & vb. n. Incubating.] [L. incubatus, p. p. incubare to lie on; pref. in- in, on + cubare to lie down. Cf. Cubit, Incumbent.]
- 1. To sit, as on eggs for hatching; to brood; to brood upon, or keep warm, as eggs, for the purpose of hatching. [1913 Webster]
- 2. To maintain (a living organism, such as microorganisms or a premature baby) under appropriate conditions, such as of temperature, humidity, or atmospheric composition, for growth; as, coliform bacteria grow best when incubated at 37[deg] C.. [PJC]
- 3. To develop gradually in some interior environment, until fully formed; as, the ideas for his book were incubating for two years before he began to write. [PJC]