Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INCUBATE

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explore the archives: To incubate eggs is to keep them warm so they'll hatch; to incubate ideas is to provide them the perfect environment so they'll grow. Incubate, then, is a handy metaphor that reminds us of birds, snakes, lizards, etc. But sometimes you prefer your metaphors warm-blooded. What does it mean when ideas are gestating? make your point with... "INCUBATE" To incubate eggs is to keep them warm so they can hatch. Figuratively, to incubate things is to give them the best possible conditions so they can develop. Pronunciation: IN kyoo bate Part of speech: Transitive verb. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you incubate something, or something incubates something else.) Other common forms: incubated, incubating; incubation How to use it: Talk about people, places, and things that incubate other things: War incubated the terrorist group, their dorm incubated an academic lifestyle, that community incubated hatred, this neighborhood incubated hope and love, the city incubates new companies and technologies, the company will incubate new programs, these people are incubating new ideas. examples: Throughout the course, students attempt to understand terrorism and the conditions that incubate it. What Do You Do With an Idea? is a beautifully illustrated story about a timid young boy incubating an exciting idea--represented, appropriately, as a golden egg. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "incubate" means when you can explain it without saying "provide the right surroundings for growth" or "give the perfect circumstances for development." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(At some point in the past), (some idea, project, field, movement, or particular way of thinking) was still in its incubation period." Example: "In 1909, Imagism was still in its incubation period; so many people must have been inspired that year by the 'sudden flaring sky' in 'A City Sunset' by T. E. Hulme." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. License Plate Words! You’ve spotted a cluster of three letters on a license plate. Keep all three letters together—don’t insert any letters between them—but add any letters you like to the left and/or right of the cluster to form words. For example, when you spot the cluster CKG, you can form BACKGROUND and BACKGAMMON (and all their related words, like BACKGROUNDER and BACKGAMMONING, for a total of 8 possible words). We’ll move from easy to hard clusters as the month goes on. (For the curious, you can generate a complete list of answers using a tool like this one.) Let's play! Our previous question: If you spot the cluster VOT, you can use it to form 63 words. Give yourself a minute or so. How many can you think of? Possible answers: You may have thought of DEVOTE, OUTVOTE, PIVOT, VOTARY, VOTE, and/or VOTIVE. Try this today: If you spot the cluster GOG, you can use it to form 49 words. Give yourself a minute or so. How many can you think of? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of INCUBATE is A. STRANGLE B. REHASH C. PUNISH 2. In Catch-22, in his absurdly literal way, Joseph Heller wrote: "The resentments incubating in each man _______ hatred." A. hatched into B. gave birth to C. withered into Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. A