gestation
2
6.8
- noun
- /dʒɛsˈteɪʃən/
- Formal
:
gestación
- So how long was the Alpha Girls project in gestation before you shot the film?
- gestation period
- long gestation
You know, the poems all have a different gestation.
- You know, the poems all have a different gestation.
- But that trip was preceded by a long gestation.
- I can tell you can see the seeds of a bigger idea that's still in gestation right now that is probably swirling in your brain.
- You working, you know, you working in what's it called gestation or something for Satan.
Examples
-
The development of the new software had a long gestation, as the team worked diligently to refine its features.
-
"Developing a new floral crop involves a long gestation, and the outcome may be unpredictable," says Roger H. Lawson.
Academic text (1994) -
No other device from Apple has such a long gestation period before users can get the ordered devices.
Blog text (13) -
The Bay School of San Francisco opened with a freshman class in September 2004, after a long gestation and three years of active planning.
Academic text (2005) -
For the poet Rilke, the process of becoming an artist was a gestation requiring patience, time, and a willingness to accept mystery.
Academic text (1993) -
The gestation of her innovative business idea took several months before she felt ready to launch.
-
Before the book was published, the gestation process for the story involved years of careful writing and revising.
Synonyms
6
7.9
To think of new plans or solutions for a problem
5
7.5
Forming a clear idea of something in your mind
1
5.1
Making a clear picture in your mind of something, often of the future
A time to let an idea or plan grow before you act
A mental picture of a plan or future result
Compounds
- Specialized
A pregnancy in which the baby grows outside the womb, usually in a fallopian tube
- Specialized
A pregnancy when the developing baby grows outside the womb, usually in a fallopian tube
How Developed
Surface Forms
Morphology
gestation = gestate (semi-transparent) = gest + ation
The sense is a metaphorical extension from physical development to mental development, so the relation is recognizable but not literal.
Etymology
Gestation for ideas uses the same root gest- meaning 'to carry'. Think of an idea as being 'carried' in the mind until it grows, which is why we call the development time of a plan or book a 'gestation' period.