incubate
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incubate
- /ˈɪŋkjʊbeɪt/
Where it comes from
First attested in 1641; borrowed from Latin incubātus, an alternative to incubitus, perfect passive participle of incubō (“to hatch”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from in- (“in”) + cubō (“to lie”).
verb incubates · incubating · incubated
- To brood, raise, or maintain eggs, organisms, or living tissue through the provision of ideal environmental conditions. The places where the birds are nesting are interesting spots to visit. Both parents incubate and the scene is animated as the birds fly about in all directions.
- To incubate metaphorically; to ponder an idea slowly and deliberately as if in preparation for hatching it. It was a habit he developed, of incubating and maturing his thought upon a subject, and of then rushing into the type-writer with it.
noun incubates
- A preparation, or material, that has been incubated.
Translations
Talk about this word "incubate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/incubate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. incubate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/incubate "incubate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/incubate.Cite this
@misc{incubate_2026,
title = {incubate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/incubate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
