[in.cu.bate] vb -bat.ed ; -bat.ing [L incubatus, pp. of incubare, fr. in- + cubare to lie] vt (ca. 1721) 1: to sit on (eggs) so as to hatch by the warmth of the body; also: to maintain (as an embryo or a chemically active system) under conditions favorable for hatching, development, or reaction
2: to cause (as an idea) to develop ~ vi 1: to sit on eggs
2: to undergo incubation -- in.cu.ba.tive adj -- in.cu.ba.to.ry adj