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incubation period
noun
: the period between the infection of an individual by a pathogen and the manifestation of the illness or disease it causes
Examples of incubation period in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The time of the incubation period ranges, lasting weeks to months, and varies vary depending on the location of the exposure site on the body, the type of rabies virus and any existing immunity, USA TODAY reported.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
Prion diseases, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, can have long incubation periods but progress rapidly once symptoms start to present themselves and are always fatal.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024
Symptoms appear after an incubation period that can last from one to four days.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 11 Jan. 2024
In general, Crotty says, there’s a limit to how low incubation periods can go.
—Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 9 Jan. 2024
Flu in particular has been known to have a very short incubation period with symptoms showing soon after exposure—anywhere from two to four days from when a person was infected.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, Health, 18 Feb. 2023
The incubation period for measles from exposure to fever is typically about 10 days, while rash onset will begin to be visible around 14 days after initial exposure, the agency said.
—Jonathan Limehouse, The Courier-Journal, 26 Mar. 2024
The onset of symptoms can sometimes take as long as 20 years because the infectious bacteria have a lengthy incubation period and proliferate slowly in the human body.
—Robert A. Schwartz, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
Some bacteria can have an incubation period of one to two days.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incubation period.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1879, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of incubation period was
in 1879
Dictionary Entries Near incubation period
Cite this Entry
“Incubation period.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incubation%20period. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
incubation period
noun1
: the period of brooding or incubating required to bring an egg to hatching
2
: the period between infection with a germ and the appearance of the disease or illness it causes
Medical Definition
incubation period
noun
: the period between the infection of an individual by a pathogen and the manifestation of the disease it causes
Mono, which has an incubation period of 30 to 50 days, characteristically announces itself with headaches, fever, sore throat, tonsillitis, and extreme fatigue.—Your Health & Fitness
Quarantines worked to control the SARS epidemic because SARS is much less contagious than flu and has a longer incubation period.—Christine Gorman, Time
More from Merriam-Webster on incubation period
Britannica English: Translation of incubation period for Arabic Speakers
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