- [uncountable, countable]
the time that the young of a person or an animal develops inside its mother’s body until it is born; the process of developing inside the mother’s body 妊娠（期）；怀孕（期） - [uncountable] (formal)
the process by which an idea or a plan develops （想法、计划的）构思，酝酿，孕育 His book was nearly twenty years in gestation. 他的书酝酿了将近20年。
Word Originmid 16th cent. (denoting ‘an excursion on horseback, in a carriage, etc., considered as exercise’): from Latin gestatio(n-), from gestare ‘carry, carry in the womb’, frequentative of gerere ‘carry’.