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gestate

Gestate (verb) – Meaning, Examples & Etymology

verb

IPA:

/dʒɛˈsteɪt/

What does gestate mean?

To carry and develop an offspring or idea within the womb or mind, respectively.
"The baby elephant will gestate for nearly two years before being born."

Detailed Meaning of Gestate

In its biological context, gestation typically pertains to the period during which a female mammal, including humans, is pregnant and nurturing the growth of a developing fetus before birth. Metaphorically, "gestate" is used to describe the incubation or development of creative, intellectual, or conceptual ideas within one's mind over a period of time. It implies a process of careful consideration, nurturing, and refinement, where thoughts or plans gradually take shape before being brought into the world as a fully developed concept or project. "Gestate" highlights the idea of growth, maturation, and preparation, whether in the biological or creative sense, and it often involves a period of anticipation and planning before something is ready to be realized or born.

Example Sentences for Gestate

1. The creative ideas began to gestate in her mind as she gazed at the canvas.
2. Nature took its time to gestate these breathtaking landscapes over millions of years.
3. In the cozy, comforting environment of her mother's womb, the baby continued to gestate.
4. The new business plan started to gestate over the course of several meetings.
5. Her novel began to gestate during her sabbatical in Europe.
6. His resentment didn't just appear overnight, it took years to gestate.

Origin and Etymology of Gestate

The verb 'gestate' finds its origins in Latin. It comes from the Latin word 'gestare,' which means 'to carry' or 'to bear.' In the context of pregnancy, 'gestate' refers to the process of carrying and developing a fetus in the womb. Over time, the term has also been extended to describe the process of developing an idea or project in one's mind before it comes to fruition. Thus, 'gestate' metaphorically captures the idea of nurturing and developing something over a period, whether it's a new life or a creative concept, aligning with its Latin roots of carrying and bearing.

Quiz Question - Test Your Understanding

Find the correct meaning of the verb gestate:

halt

terminate

stagnate

develop

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Correct!

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More Usage Examples of Gestate

1. Seeds, buried deep in the earth, gestate until the spring warmth coaxes them into growth.
2. Behind the walls of the beehive, thousands of eggs gestate, waiting to birth a new generation.
3. New trends in fashion often gestate in underground scenes before reaching the mainstream.
4. As the team gathered for the brainstorming session, fresh concepts began to gestate.
5. Though it appeared sudden, the revolution had taken decades to gestate.
6. Ideas for his innovative design had begun to gestate during his architecture studies.
7. The political strategy had been allowed to gestate for months before it was put into action.
8. Their friendship started to gestate during their childhood and blossomed in adulthood.
9. The plot for his new book started to gestate after a chance encounter in a coffee shop.
10. Many ground-breaking theories in science gestate over long periods of time before they're accepted.
11. Beneath the soil, the bulbs began to gestate, storing energy for their springtime emergence.
12. For months, the entrepreneur let his ideas gestate before he started his new venture.
13. The dolphins have a long gestation period, and during this time, the calf will gestate inside its mother.
14. Artistic movements often gestate in the minds of a few before becoming popular.