incubación
/inkubaˈθjon/
The English word "incubation" translates to Spanish as incubación.
incubación refers to the development of a disease from its causes, or its period of incubation. In medical contexts, the standard way to refer to the incubation period is through the phrase periodo de incubación.
Meaning: development of a disease from its causes, or its period of incubation (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun incubación is feminine, so it is used with la or una.
How do you pronounce it?
/inkubaˈθjon/
Did you know?
- In historical Spanish texts, incubación was sometimes used to describe the practice of sleeping in a temple to receive a prophetic dream.
- In Spanish, the word incubar can be used metaphorically to describe a person dwelling on an idea or a secret before it is revealed.
- Spanish has a specific term incubadora for an incubator, which can refer to a medical device for premature babies or a business accelerator for startups.
Examples in context
- Tanto la gripe aviar A como la B tienen un periodo de incubación de 21 días.Both avian flus A and B have an incubation period of 21 days.This sentence is useful for showing how to express the duration of an incubation period using incubación.Tatoeba #13535653 by Seael, translation #13544482 by rul
- El periodo de incubación de ciertas enfermedades puede variar entre dos y tres semanas.The incubation period of certain diseases can vary from two to three weeks.
- El período de gestación de una idea puede ser muy emocionante.The incubation period of an idea can be very exciting.
- El éxito de un proyecto requiere tiempo para su maduración.The success of a project requires time for its incubation.
- El periodo de incubación es muy corto.The incubation period is very short.
- Debemos vigilar la incubación del virus.We must monitor the incubation of the virus.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing health symptoms at home.
- MateoMe siento un poco mal hoy, Sofía.I feel a bit sick today, Sofía.
- SofíaQuizás es la fase de incubación del virus.Maybe it is the incubation phase of the virus.
- Mateo¿Cuánto tiempo dura normalmente?How long does it normally last?
- SofíaDepende, pero suele durar unos pocos días.It depends, but it usually lasts a few days.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “incubation” translations and entries incubación, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
