incubate

/ˈɪnkjuˌbeɪt/

Other forms: incubated; incubating; incubates

When a chicken sits on an egg, it incubates it. To incubate means to keep something safe and warm so that it can grow.

The word can be used metaphorically to mean to keep something safe in order for it to have time to grow. You incubate a plan or an idea before bringing it into the world, or, metaphorically speaking, hatching it. Premature or particularly small babies are placed into an incubator when they are born. This warm, clean environment helps them to grow.

Definitions of incubate

1. verb

   grow under conditions that promote development
   type of:

   develop

   grow, progress, unfold, or evolve through a process of evolution, natural growth, differentiation, or a conducive environment
2. verb

   sit on (eggs)
   synonyms: brood, cover, hatch

   hatch

   emerge from the eggs

   type of:

   multiply, procreate, reproduce

   have offspring or produce more individuals of a given animal or plant