Medical Dictionary

incubate

verb in·cu·bate \ˈiŋ-kyə-ˌbāt, ˈin-\
in·cu·bat·edin·cu·bat·ing

Medical Definition of INCUBATE

transitive verb
1
:  to maintain (as eggs, embryos of animals, or bacteria) under prescribed and usually controlled conditions favorable for hatching or development especially in an incubator
2
:  to maintain (a chemically active system) under controlled conditions for the development of a reaction
intransitive verb
:  to undergo incubation <the cultures incubated for five days>

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