Incubation: An incubation period is when a disease

An incubation period is when a disease takes hold and produces symptoms — and it's also the phase of an egg getting ready to hatch. The egg meaning of incubation is the original one — the word is derived from the Latin incubare, "to hatch." Incubation is the development of an infection, an embryo, or a culture under controlled conditions. Learn the meanings, periods, and applications of incubation in different medical contexts from various sources. Incubation definition: the act or process of incubating.. See examples of INCUBATION used in a sentence. : to maintain (something, such as an embryo or a chemically active system) under conditions favorable for hatching, development, or reaction. The female bird incubates the eggs. Researchers incubated the cells in the laboratory. The cultures must incubate for five more days.