gestation

noun ges·ta·tion \ je-ˈstā-shən \

|Updated on: 23 Jun 2018

Examples: gestation in a Sentence

Definition of gestation

1 : the carrying of young in the uterus (see uterus 1) : pregnancy

2 : conception (see conception 3) and development especially in the mind

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gestational

play \je-ˈstā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

See gestation defined for English-language learners

See gestation defined for kids

Examples of gestation in a Sentence

the gestation of new ideas
The book has been in gestation for a long time.

Recent Examples of gestation from the Web

Get our daily newsletter On June 13th the lower house of Argentina’s congress will vote on a bill to legalise elective abortions within the first 14 weeks of gestation.

— The Economist, "Argentina moves closer to legalising abortion," 9 June 2018
The baby was stillborn at 23 to 28 weeks of gestation, and raises questions about the cultural practices of ancient Egypt: was the stillborn mummified because fetuses were believed to be powerful talismans?

— laura yan, Popular Mechanics, "This Ancient Mummified Bird Is Actually a Mummified Baby," 2 June 2018
The clinic filed a lawsuit against the state of Mississippi in March, within a day after a law was passed that bans abortions after 15 weeks of gestation.

— maria clark, NOLA.com, "Woman gives birth in Mississippi abortion clinic: report," 1 June 2018
Scientists will be watching closely to see if the rhino named Victoria can carry her calf to term over 16 to 18 months of gestation.

— Time, "A Pregnant Rhino in San Diego Could Help Save a Related Subspecies," 19 May 2018
Its approval also followed a six-month dry spell since the previous BitLicense was granted; the NYDFS has gone up to 11 months without pushing out a new BitLicense—roughly equal to the gestation period of a humpback whale.

— robert hackett, Fortune, "The Ledger: Is New York's BitLicense an 'Absolute Failure?'," 25 May 2018
The twins received their first dose at 26 weeks gestation and a second dose at 31 weeks.

— michael nedelman, CNN, "Twins treated for genetic disorder in the womb," 18 May 2018
Scientists will be watching closely to see if the rhino named Victoria can carry her calf to term over 16 to 18 months of gestation.

— Time, "A Pregnant Rhino in San Diego Could Help Save a Related Subspecies," 19 May 2018
Now a review in the Cochrane Library of 30 randomized trials involving more than 12,000 women with normal pregnancies in the United States and 13 other countries has found that induction at or beyond 41 weeks of gestation is safer than waiting.

— nicholas bakalar, New York Times, "Inducing Labor at Full Term May Be Best Bet," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gestation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gestation

Latin gestation-, gestatio, from gestare to bear, frequentative of gerere to bear

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1615

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

gestation Synonyms

Other Embryology Terms

gravid, neonate, ontogeny, parturition

GESTATION Defined for English Language Learners

gestation

noun

Definition of gestation for English Language Learners

: the time when a person or animal is developing inside its mother before it is born; also : the process of development that happens during this time
: the process by which something (such as an idea) forms and develops