gestation period

Definition

The average interval between fertilization and birth of a mammal; ranges from 13 days for the opossum to 626 days for the Indian elephant.

Example Sentences

• "We have waited a very long time for the Railways Bill to see the light of day. The starting gun was fired as long ago as May 2021, when the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail was finally published, after its own gestation period of nearly three years."