gestation Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the period during which an embryo develops (about 266 days in humans)
    gestation period.
  2. noun the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus
    pregnancy; maternity.
  3. noun the conception and development of an idea or plan

WordNet

Ges*ta"tion noun
Etymology
L. gestatio a bearing, carrying, fr. gestare to bear, carry, intens. fr. gerere, gestum, to bear: cf. F. gestation. See Gest deed, Jest.
Definitions
  1. The act of wearing (clothes or ornaments). Obs.
  2. The act of carrying young in the womb from conception to delivery; pregnancy.
  3. Exercise in which one is borne or carried, as on horseback, or in a carriage, without the exertion of his own powers; passive exercise. Dunglison.

Webster 1913