Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

incubate

Syllabification: (in·cu·bate)
Pronunciation: /ˈinkyəˌbāt, ˈiNG-/
Translate incubate | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of incubate

verb

[with object]
  • (of a bird) sit on (eggs) in order to keep them warm and bring them to hatching.
  • (especially in a laboratory) keep (eggs, cells, bacteria, embryos, etc.) at a suitable temperature so that they develop:the samples were incubated at 80°C for three minutes
  • (be incubating something) have an infectious disease developing inside one before symptoms appear:the possibility that she was incubating early syphilis
  • [no object] develop slowly without outward or perceptible signs:unfortunately the BSE bug incubates for around three years

Origin:

mid 17th century: from Latin incubat- 'lain on', from the verb incubare, from in- 'upon' + cubare 'to lie'

incubate in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of incubate in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

GET PRO ►

Shop for an Oxford dictionary
Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

cur

/ kəː /
noun
an aggressive or unkempt dog …