cubi-, cub-, cumb-, cubit- +

1. Lying down; in a position of comfort or rest.
2. Lying down; reclining.
3. In botany, lying or leaning against something; such as, accumbent cotyledons or embryonic leaves in seed-bearing plants.

Relating to both the arm and the elbow or to both the arm and the forearm

1. The state of cohabiting or living together as man and wife while not married.
2. Being a concubine or in some polygamous societies, such a woman who has a social and legal position as a secondary wife.

1. A woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not legally married; especially, one who is regarded as socially or sexually subservient; a mistress.
2. Among polygamous societies, a secondary wife, usually of inferior rank.
3. Especially formerly in Muslim societies, women living in a harem and kept, as by a sultan, for sexual purposes.
4. Etymology: Latin concubina, from concumbere, "to lie with or together"; from com-, "together, with" plus cubare, "to lie down". Recognized by law among polygamous people as "a secondary wife".

Biblical References to Concubines

A concubine was a woman who had a marital (sexual) relationship with a man but she was secondary to the wife; that is, the concubine was not as high in the family status as the wife.

When barren wives; such as, Sara, Leah, and Rachel gave their handmaidens as surrogates (substitues) to their husbands to bear children; as indicated in Genesis 16:1-3; and Genesis 30:3-13; they were following a practice known from Babylonia (Code of Hammurabi, 144-145).

The children that Sarah and Rachel later bore inherited more than the children of the handmaidens, as indicated in Genesis 21:10-13 and Genesis 49:22-26 and which is also reflected in the Code of Hammurabi (170-171).

1. A small group of game birds; such as, partridge, grouse, or quail.
2. A small group of people or things.
3. Etymology: from French covée, "brood" which came from Latin cubare, "to lie down".

1. Small sleeping compartments; especially, within a dormitory.
2. A small compartment available for work or study.
3. Small areas set off by walls for special uses.
4. A small room in which a monk or nun lives.
5. A work area that is partly separated from the rest of a room in an office or library.
6. A partitioned area of a room; a small partitioned area for private use in a larger, more public room; such as, a locker room or dormitory.
7. Etymology: Latin cubare, "to lie down".

1. A historic unit of distance frequently mentioned in the Bible and other ancient sources.
2. Etymology: from Latin cubitum, "the elbow"; related to cubare, "to lie down, be lying"; that is, "on which someone lies in a reclining position.

An ancient unit of measure based on the forearm from elbow to fingertip, usually from eighteen to twenty-two inches. Such a measure, known by a word meaning "forearm" or the like, was known to many people; such as, Greek pekhys and Hebrew ammah.

The unit represents the length of a man's forearm from his elbow to the tip of his outstretched middle finger. This distance tends to be about eighteen inches or roughly forty-five centimeters in length.

In ancient times, the cubit was usually defined as equal to twenty-four digits or six English system, the digit is conventionally identified as 3/4 inch; this makes the ordinary cubit exactly 18 inches (45.72 centimeters).

The Roman cubit was shorter, about 44.4 centimeters (17.5 inches). The ordinary Egyptian cubit was just under 45 centimeters, and most authorities estimate the royal cubit at about 52.35 centimeters (20.61 inches).

A reference to lying down; such as, any position assumed by a patient when lying in bed: "A decubitus ulcer is a bed sore, the consequence of lying in one position for too long."

"The Latin decubitus, "lying down" (related to cubitum, "the elbow"); is supposed to be a reflection of the fact that the Romans habitually rested on their elbows when they reclined."

A prone position resting on the knees and elbows, assumed for gynecologic or rectal examination or operation: "The doctor asked Kim to get into a genucubital position by resting on his knees and elbows with the chest elevated from the table."

At bedtime: "An instruction used in medical-prescription instructions."

To sit on (eggs) to provide heat, so as to promote embryonic development and the hatching of babies or a brood: "A hen incubates her eggs, hatching them by sitting or lying on them."

1. The act or process of incubating; that is, maintaining something at the most favorable temperature for its development.
2. The slow development of something; especially, through thought and planning.
3. In medicine, the development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear.
4. The maintenance of an infant, especially a premature infant, in an environment of controlled temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration in order to provide optimal conditions for growth and development.

A reference to the act or process of keeping something in a proper condition for development: "The incubational cultures still need more time."

"The incubational development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear."

1. Applied to an artificial hatching apparatus, whether it be used for eggs or bacteria.
2. An apparatus in which environmental conditions can be set and controlled.
3. an apparatus in which media inoculated with microorganisms are cultivated at a constant temperature.
4. An enclosed apparatus in which prematurely born infants are kept in controlled conditions, as with proper temperature, for protection and care.

Incubators are used in microbiology for culturing or growing bacteria and other microorganisms.

Incubators in tissue culture rooms are used for culturing stem cells, lymphocytes, skin fibroblasts and other types of cells.

In a hospital nursery and newborn intensive care unit (NICU), incubators serve to house and maintain premature and ill infants.