What does "gestation" mean?

The period of time during which an animal or human offspring physically develops inside the mother's body until it is born.

How do you pronounce "gestation"?

Pronounced //d͡ʒɛsˈteɪʃən//.

Common synonyms include: pregnancy, childbearing, covering, development, fetal development, formation.

/d͡ʒɛsˈteɪʃən/ noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The period of time during which an animal or human offspring physically develops inside the mother's body until it is born. countable, uncountable
2
the conception and development of an idea or plan wordnet
3
The process of development of a plan or idea. countable, uncountable
"It was to a conversation with another friend who had for many years been familiar with all my writings during the period of their gestation, just as I had been with his."
4
the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus wordnet
5
the period during which an embryo develops (about 266 days in humans) wordnet

"The gestation period for the African bush elephant is about 669 days, whereas that for a guinea pig is only about 70 days."

Learned borrowing from Latin gestātiō.