Incubate

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [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]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  incubate
       v 1: develop under favorable conditions, such as germs and
            bacteria
       2: sit on (eggs); "Birds brood"; "The female covers the eggs"
          [syn: {brood}, {hatch}, {cover}]