gestation

noun

ges·​ta·​tion je-ˈstā-shən 

1

: the carrying of young in the uterus (see uterus sense 1) : pregnancy

2

: conception (see conception sense 3) and development especially in the mind

gestational

je-ˈstā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• family way
• gravidity
• pregnancy

Examples of gestation in a Sentence

the gestation of new ideas

The book has been in gestation for a long time.

Recent Examples on the Web

She was born early, at just 24 weeks gestation, weighing less than 2 pounds. —Kate Wells, NPR, 2 Dec. 2024

Gestational hypertension is high blood pressure that occurs after 20 weeks of gestation in people who did not have it before pregnancy. —Corey Whelan, Verywell Health, 1 Dec. 2024

By the beginning of the ninth week of pregnancy, the normal fetal heart rate is an average of 170 bpm, up from about 110 at 5 weeks gestation. —Robin Elise Weiss, Phd, Parents, 30 July 2024

In 2021, the state had passed a law known as S.B. 8, banning nearly all abortions after electrical activity is detected in fetal cells, which typically happens around the sixth week of gestation. —Stephania Taladrid, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin gestation-, gestatio, from gestare to bear, frequentative of gerere to bear

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gestation

noun

ges·​ta·​tion je-ˈstā-shən 

: the carrying of young in the uterus : pregnancy

Medical Definition

gestation

noun

ges·​ta·​tion je-ˈstā-shən 

1

: the carrying of young in the uterus from conception to delivery : pregnancy

2

: gestation period

gestational

-shnəl, -shən-ᵊl 

adjective