gestation

noun

ges·​ta·​tion je-ˈstā-shən 

1

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

2

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

gestational

je-ˈstā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• pregnancy

Examples of gestation in a Sentence

the gestation of new ideas

The book has been in gestation for a long time.

Recent Examples on the Web

In March of this year, again at 17 weeks gestation, Harrison felt her water break and went to the emergency room at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento. —Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025

The problem of infection control Infection control is essential to any attempt at artificial gestation. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025

It is cleared to end a pregnancy through 10 weeks of gestation. —Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025

With an injection of the Pfizer vaccine Abrysvo at 32 to 36 weeks of gestation, a pregnant person develops antibodies against RSV that are conferred to the fetus through the placenta, giving babies crucial protection that lasts for the first six to nine months of life. —Mark Kreidler, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gestation

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation

Kids Definition

gestation

noun

ges·​ta·​tion je-ˈstā-shən 

: the carrying of young in the uterus : pregnancy

Medical Definition

gestation

noun

ges·​ta·​tion je-ˈstā-shən 

1

: the carrying of young in the uterus from conception to delivery : pregnancy

2

: gestation period

gestational

-shnəl, -shən-ᵊl 

adjective