Incubate

To incubate is to keep eggs, cells, or ideas in a suitable environment for development. This often involves providing a controlled temperature and humidity, whether in a lab, a natural setting like a bird's nest, or metaphorically within a person's mind. The process facilitates growth, ripening, and emergence. This carefully maintained condition is vital for fostering life or allowing a project to mature. Incubation also implies a period of quiet preparation or latency before something fully materializes or manifests. The duration of incubation can vary widely depending on the subject, ranging from hours for bacteria to months for a project to become clear. A period of rest and controlled development until it is ready.

Incubate meaning with examples

• The biologist placed the fertilized eggs in the incubator, meticulously adjusting the temperature to 37 degrees Celsius. Over the next 21 days, she monitored the eggs, ensuring the humidity levels were optimal to allow the chicks to fully develop. This precise process allowed the chicks to hatch.
• The company incubated several new product ideas within a dedicated research and development department. The team studied market trends and prototype designs until the idea was proven profitable, waiting until there was enough data to justify the launch. The goal was to allow the best ideas to take flight.
• Before launching his novel, the author incubated his manuscript, sharing it with a select group of trusted readers. The feedback was evaluated carefully, providing revisions, and improving the quality of the writing. This careful process enabled him to refine the story, ensuring his novel would resonate with the public.
• The scientist incubated the bacterial culture in a nutrient-rich broth, regulating the temperature to encourage rapid growth and division. Periodically, she would measure the colony and see how well it did to monitor and understand the experiment. Eventually, it was a rich mass that could be used for analysis.