incubator

[ in-kyuh-bey-ter, ing- ]

noun

1. an apparatus in which eggs are hatched artificially.
2. an enclosed apparatus in which prematurely born infants are kept in controlled conditions, as of temperature, for protection and care.
3. an apparatus in which media inoculated with microorganisms are cultivated at a constant temperature.
4. a person or thing that incubates.
5. Business. an enterprise that provides support services to entrepreneurs refining startup concepts, in a continuing and open-ended relationship that includes access to mentoring, networking, or legal assistance, often in a collaborative workspace. Compare accelerator ( def 9 ).

incubator

/ ˈɪnkjʊˌbeɪtə /

noun

1. med an enclosed transparent boxlike apparatus for housing prematurely born babies under optimum conditions until they are strong enough to survive in the normal environment
2. a container kept at a constant temperature in which birds' eggs can be artificially hatched or bacterial cultures grown
3. a person, animal, or thing that incubates
4. a commercial property, divided into small work units, which provides equipment and support to new businesses

incubator

/ ĭn′kyə-bā′tər /

1. An apparatus in which environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, can be controlled, often used for growing bacterial cultures, hatching eggs artificially, or providing suitable conditions for a chemical or biological reaction.
2. An apparatus for maintaining an infant, especially one that is ill or born before the usual gestation period, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration.

incubator

1. A specialized crib used in caring for infants, in which the temperature and oxygen content of the air can be controlled. Often, babies who are born prematurely will be placed in an incubator until they have become strong enough to be housed in a regular crib.

Word History and Origins

Origin of incubator¹

First recorded in 1855–60; from Late Latin: literally, “one who lies in or upon (something); one who sleeps in a temple or shrine”; incubate, -tor

Example Sentences

Xue had left a failed experiment, a dish full of human tumor cells, in the incubator, and when he looked two weeks later, he found a dish full of neurons.

From Nautilus

That’s exactly what Ocean Spray is doing with the incubator which has just five employees dedicated full-time to it.

From Digiday

With each new brand idea, the incubator is running market tests, analyzing the success of those tests and then deciding whether or not to proceed with the brand.

From Digiday

It’s like a comet incubator, says planetary scientist Gal Sarid of the SETI Institute, who is based in Rockville, Md.

From Science News

Live on air, she said the Iraqis had removed 312 babies from incubators and left them to die on the cold floor.

From Ozy

As we talked I looked at three babies, their skin a jaundiced yellow, in a single incubator.

From The Daily Beast

America has long been the incubator of many spiritual creeds going back to the Great Awakening and even earlier.

From The Daily Beast

He now works for the mayor of New York running their incubator for tech companies.

From The Daily Beast

Now five guys who program can pitch their company and get $100,000 from an incubator.

From The Daily Beast

It launched in February an incubator to foster education start-ups.

From The Daily Beast

Where electric current is available, it can be used to heat an incubator much better and cleanlier than the kerosene lamp.

From Project Gutenberg

The most important part of the incubator is the thermostat which regulates the current to maintain a steady heat.

From Project Gutenberg

The incubator should be run for a day or two so that the current may be well regulated before placing the eggs in the tray.

From Project Gutenberg

An incubator about hatching time is a wonderful object lesson in teaching the story of life.

From Project Gutenberg

And this, too, when it has been unreservedly believed that the incubator was a modern triumph of Western science!

From Project Gutenberg