gestation

IPA/dʒeˈsteɪʃn/
KK[dʒɛstˈeʃən]IPA/dʒeˈsteɪʃn/

gestation — noun

1. the time during which a baby or young animal grows inside its mother before bein

1.名詞C1
釋義

the time during which a baby or young animal grows inside its mother before being born; also the biological process itself.

例句

An elephant's gestation lasts about twenty-two months, longer than any other land mammal.

collocation: gestation lasts + duration

Haruto's wife was in the final weeks of gestation when the typhoon struck Okinawa.

collocation: weeks of gestation

同義詞
  • pregnancy

    everyday word for the same state in humans; non-technical

  • gravidity

    highly technical medical term, rarely seen outside obstetrics journals

文法句型

period of gestation

gestation of [animal/young]

用法筆記

Almost always uncountable and used in formal, scientific, or medical contexts. Frequently paired with 'period' (gestation period) or a duration ('months/weeks of gestation').

常見錯誤

❌My sister is in her third gestation.
✅My sister is in her third pregnancy.
💡for human everyday speech use 'pregnancy'; 'gestation' is reserved for scientific or animal contexts.
❌The dog had two gestations last year.
✅The dog had two pregnancies last year.
💡'gestation' as a countable event is unusual; use 'pregnancy' for the countable instance.

2. the slow process by which a thought, plan, or creative work gradually takes shap

2.名詞C2
釋義

the slow process by which a thought, plan, or creative work gradually takes shape inside someone's mind before it is shared or finished.

例句

The film spent eight years in gestation before Ignacio finally began shooting it in Buenos Aires.

fixed phrase: in gestation

Long hikes in the mountains helped the novel through its early gestation.

collocation: early gestation (of a creative work)

同義詞
  • incubation

    near-synonym for the slow mental development of plans; sometimes interchangeable

  • development

    general everyday word; less formal and less metaphorical

文法句型

in gestation

gestation of [an idea/plan]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: subject here is an idea, plan, project, novel, or policy — not a living organism. Often appears in the fixed phrase 'in gestation' meaning 'still being developed and not yet ready'.

常見錯誤

❌The team had a quick gestation of the proposal in one afternoon.
✅The team drafted the proposal in one afternoon.
💡'gestation' implies slow development over weeks, months, or years; it does not fit short timeframes.