incubation

n. the process of keeping eggs warm so that the young birds inside can grow and hatch.

n. the act of brooding or keeping eggs at a suitable temperature to promote embryonic development.

“The mother bird rarely left the nest during the long period of incubation.”

“Artificial incubation allows farmers to hatch large numbers of chicks simultaneously by maintaining precise humidity and temperature levels within the machine.”

n. the time between catching a virus or bacteria and when you actually start to feel sick.

n. the period between exposure to a pathogenic organism and the first appearance of symptoms.

“The virus has an incubation period of up to two weeks before symptoms appear.”

“Epidemiologists tracked the incubation timeline to determine when the patient had first been exposed to the infectious agent.”

Technical

n. a stage where you stop thinking about a problem and let your brain work on it quietly in the background.

n. a stage in the creative process where the unconscious mind reorganises information after conscious effort has ceased.

“After hours of frustration, a night of incubation helped him find the solution.”

“The researcher argued that the incubation phase is vital for innovation, as it allows the brain to form non-obvious connections between disparate ideas.”

Academic

n. the process of helping a new business or a scientific culture grow in a controlled environment.

n. the maintenance of controlled environmental conditions for the growth of cell cultures or the early-stage development of startup companies.

“The laboratory uses a special chamber for the incubation of bacteria samples.”

“The university's business incubation programme provides office space and mentoring to help tech startups survive their first year of operation.”

Technical