jeˈstāshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin gestation-, gestatio, from gestatus (past participle of gestare to bear, from gestus, past participle of gerere to bear, act) + -ion-, -io -ion — more at cast
1. archaic : exercise in which one is carried
gestation in a carriage or in a boat has … good effects — Thomas Watson †1882
2.
a. : the carrying of young usually in the uterus from conception to delivery : pregnancy
other acute … illnesses occur in the early months of gestation — J.P.Greenhill
b. : the incubation of eggs
3. : conception and development especially in the mind
this extraordinary book, thirty years in gestation — W.R.Parker