incubator

(inkyə bāt′ər, iŋ-)

noun

a person or thing that incubates; specif.,
  1. an artificially heated container for hatching eggs
  2. a similar apparatus in which premature babies are kept for a period
  3. an apparatus for growing microbial or cell cultures in which the temperature, atmosphere, and humidity can be controlled

See incubator in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. An apparatus in which environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, can be controlled, often used for growing bacterial cultures, hatching eggs artificially, or providing suitable conditions for a chemical or biological reaction.
  2. Medicine An apparatus for maintaining an infant, especially a premature infant, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration.
  3. A place or situation that permits or encourages the formation and development, as of new ideas: a college that was an incubator of new approaches to sociology.

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