incubate

incubate
in·cu·bate 'iŋ-kyə-.bāt, 'in- vb, -bat·ed; -bat·ing vt
1) to maintain (as eggs, embryos of animals, or bacteria) under prescribed and usu. controlled conditions favorable for hatching or development esp. in an incubator
2) to maintain (a chemically active system) under controlled conditions for the development of a reaction vi to undergo incubation <the cultures incubated for five days>

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in·cu·bate (inґku-bāt) [L. incubare to lie in or on; to watch over jealously] 1. to place in an optimal situation for development, as by provision of the proper temperature and humidity for the growth of living cells, such as ova, microorganisms, or tissue cells. 2. to maintain a culture or a reaction mixture at a fixed temperature. 3. material which has been incubated.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • 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 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • incubate — (v.) 1640s, to brood upon, watch jealously (which also was a figurative sense of L. incubare); 1721 as to sit on eggs to hatch them, from L. incubatus, pp. of incubare to lie in or upon (see INCUBATION (Cf. incubation)). Related: Incubated;… …   Etymology dictionary

  • incubate — ► VERB 1) (of a bird) sit on (eggs) to keep them warm and bring them to hatching. 2) keep (bacteria, cells, etc.) at a suitable temperature so that they develop. 3) (with reference to an infectious disease) develop slowly without outward or… …   English terms dictionary

  • incubate — [in′kyə bāt΄, iŋ′kyo͞o bāt΄] vt. incubated, incubating [< L incubatus, pp. of incubare, to lie in or upon < in , IN 1 + cubare, to lie: see CUBE1] 1. to sit on and hatch (eggs) 2. to keep (eggs, embryos, bacteria, etc.) in a favorable… …   English World dictionary

  • incubate — UK [ˈɪŋkjʊbeɪt] / US [ˈɪŋkjəˌbeɪt] verb [intransitive/transitive] Word forms incubate : present tense I/you/we/they incubate he/she/it incubates present participle incubating past tense incubated past participle incubated 1) a) biology if a bird… …   English dictionary

  • incubate — in|cu|bate [ ıŋkjə,beıt ] verb intransitive or transitive 1. ) if a bird incubates its eggs, or if they incubate, they are kept warm until the young birds inside come out a ) if you incubate cells, or if they incubate, they are kept at a… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • incubate — [[t]ɪ̱nkjʊbeɪt[/t]] incubates, incubating, incubated 1) VERB When birds incubate their eggs, they keep the eggs warm until the baby birds come out. [V n] The birds returned to their nests and continued to incubate the eggs. [Also V] Derived words …   English dictionary

  • incubate — in|cu|bate [ˈıŋkjubeıt] v [I and T] [Date: 1600 1700; : Latin; Origin: , past participle of incubare to lie on , from cubare to lie ] 1.) if a bird incubates its eggs, or if the eggs incubate, they are kept warm until they ↑hatch (=the birds… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • incubate — verb (I, T) 1 if a bird incubates its eggs or if they incubate, they are kept warm by the bird until the young birds come out 2 (I, T) technical if a disease incubates, or if you incubate it, it develops in your body until you show physical signs …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • incubate — verb ( bated; bating) Etymology: Latin incubatus, past participle of incubare, from in + cubare to lie Date: 1641 transitive verb 1. a. to sit on (eggs) so as to hatch by the warmth of the body b. to maintain (as an embryo or a chemically active… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • incubate — verb a) To brood, raise, or maintain eggs, organisms, or living tissue through the provision of ideal environmental conditions. b) To incubate metaphorically; to ponder an idea slowly and deliberately as if in preparation for hatching it …   Wiktionary

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