incubation

noun in·cu·ba·tion \ ˌiŋ-kyə-ˈbā-shən , ˌin- \

1 : the act or process of incubating

2 : incubation period

Recent Examples of incubation from the Web

In an experiment with chicken embryos, a temporary rise in incubation temperature — meant to mimic feverlike conditions — was enough to produce defects to the face and heart.

— aimee cunningham, Washington Post, "How fever in early pregnancy may lead to birth defects," 28 Oct. 2017
Still, for that to work, the sensitivity needs to increase to the point where incubation is not required.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Is that water drinkable? Fast test may hold the answer," 11 Oct. 2017
Over its 18 years, the Houston Technology Center has coached more than 1,000 companies, including 277 that went through its acceleration and incubation program through 2016 and raised more than $3.5 billion in funding.

— andrea rumbaugh, Houston Chronicle, "Houston Exponential to harness startup potential," 24 Oct. 2017
Hidden high tech To eliminate the 24-hour incubation time, researchers have developed a test based on a molecular recognition scheme.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Is that water drinkable? Fast test may hold the answer," 11 Oct. 2017
An exhibition on designs that never got past incubation is therefore at a distinct advantage.

— julie v. iovine, WSJ, "‘Never Built New York’ Review: The City That Could Have Been," 3 Oct. 2017
This suggests a time when genetic diversification occurred, an incubation lasting maybe 10,000 years.

— adam rutherford, The Atlantic, "A New History of the First Peoples in the Americas," 3 Oct. 2017
The economic stakes for 5G may be significantly higher than for 4G, led by large-scale job creation and incubation of new devices, applications, and business models that could dramatically stimulate the U.S. economy.

— craig wigginton, Fortune, "The U.S. Isn’t Ready for 5G Technology," 18 Sep. 2017
Separate initiatives will seek to spur cross-border venture capital investments and startup and business incubation.

— matt day, The Seattle Times, "Airlines aim for Seattle-to-Vancouver seaplane service," 12 Sep. 2017

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