incubation

IPA: ɪŋkjubˈeɪʃʌn

Sitting on eggs for the purpose of hatching young; a brooding on, or keeping warm, to develop the life within, by any process.
(pathology) The development of a disease from its causes, or the period of such development.
(chemistry) A period of little reaction which is followed by more rapid reaction.
(psychology) One of the four proposed stages of creativity (preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification): the unconscious recombination of thought elements that were stimulated through conscious work at one point in time, resulting in novel ideas at a later point.
Sleeping in a temple or other holy place in order to have oracular dreams or to receive healing.

Examples of "incubation" in Sentences

"They offer, in short, incubation for ideas questionably modern."
For long-term incubation, oocytes were cultured in MEM with 20\% foetal calf serum in a
VEM-like material that accumulated in incubation fluid when kidney slices were incubated anaerobically.
In the ass and mule in almost all cases the period of incubation is short and the disease develops in an acute form.
CLEMENT: These are cases that have what we call incubation, that is, they have a respirator on them to assist breathing.
The Courier project is in "incubation" - so a long way from going on sale - but there is speculation that a mid-2010 launch is still possible.
But rabies incubation is very long, said Zhen Fu, DVM Ph. D., professor of pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia.
THE RAT TRAP: In need of creative solace for various writing ventures that are still in long-term incubation, I headed alone to the Finborough Theatre in Chelsea to witness some actors putting themselves through the mill at the outer limits of the creative world.