incubate
verb/ˈɪŋkjubeɪt/
/ˈɪŋkjubeɪt/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they incubate | /ˈɪŋkjubeɪt/ /ˈɪŋkjubeɪt/ |
| he / she / it incubates | /ˈɪŋkjubeɪts/ /ˈɪŋkjubeɪts/ |
| past simple incubated | /ˈɪŋkjubeɪtɪd/ /ˈɪŋkjubeɪtɪd/ |
| past participle incubated | /ˈɪŋkjubeɪtɪd/ /ˈɪŋkjubeɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form incubating | /ˈɪŋkjubeɪtɪŋ/ /ˈɪŋkjubeɪtɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] incubate something (of a bird) to sit on its eggs in order to keep them warm until they hatchTopics Birdsc2
- [transitive] incubate something (biology) to keep cells, bacteria, etc. at a suitable temperature so that they develop
- The samples were incubated at 80°C for three minutes.
- [transitive] be incubating something(medical) to have a disease developing inside you before symptoms appear
- The source of infection may be a person who is incubating an infectious disease.
- [intransitive] (medical) (of a disease) to develop slowly without showing any signsTopics Health problemsc2
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from Latin incubat- ‘lain on’, from the verb incubare, from in- ‘upon’ + cubare ‘to lie’.
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incubate