cubi-, cub-, cumb-, cubit-

1. Lying down; reclining: in a position of comfort or rest: Audi was in an accumbent position as she was lying on the couch in the sunshine.

Fred's cat was having a more accumbent rest on the rug in front of the fireplace.

2. In botany, lying or leaning against something; such as, cotyledons or embryonic leaves in seed-bearing plants: The botanist was studying the growth patterns of accumbent seedlings of various cotyledons.

Associated with the proximity of both the arm and elbow or to both the arm and the forearm: As a result of an automobile accident, Sam had a slight brachiocubital scar on his right arm.

1. The state of cohabiting or living together as man and wife while not married: Mona and Jim decided to live together in concubinage instead of having a legal marriage.
2. Being a mistress in some polygamous societies: Glenda's sister was living in concubinage with Jeff, the rich farmer.

1. A woman who lives with a man to whom she is not legally married; especially, one who is regarded as socially or sexually subservient; a mistress: Throughout history, there have been many situations when it was considered acceptable for an important man to keep a woman or women, whom he was not married to, as his concubines, and some of them were said to be treated better than the man’s wife.
2. In polygamous societies, a secondary wife, usually of inferior rank: Several concubines of the ancient lord worked in the kitchens and gardens.
3. A grown female who is held as a slave to a powerful man often for sexual purposes: The youngest concubine was an exquisite dancer and entertained the friends of her master.
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 number of game birds; such as, partridge, grouse, or quail: The loud noise frightened the covey of quail that dashed across the field for safety.
2. A small group of people or things: Sabina's niece had a small covey of carved birds on her bookshelf.
3. Etymology: from French covée, "brood" which came from Latin cubare, "to lie down".

1. Small sleeping compartments; especially, within a dormitory: Irvin was assigned the upper bunk in the small cubicle in the student residence where he lived during the summer.
2. A small enclosed space available for work or study: Marge was able to rent a small locked cubicle in the library when she was completing her research project.
3. Small areas set off by walls for special uses: Each social worker had a private cubicle in which to conduct interviews with his or her clients.
4. A roomlet in which a monk or nun lives: Sister Jean’s cubicle was sparsely furnished with a cot, a chair, and a shelf.
5. A partitioned area in a room for private use in a larger, more public space inside of a building: There was a private cubicle in the locker room for the members of the swim team in which to change into their swimsuits or their clothes after their sessions of water sport .
6. Etymology: from Latin cubiculum, "bedroom" and cubare, "to lie down".

The cubicle became the term for "dormitory sleeping compartment" or sense of "any partitioned space" (such as a library carrel or, later, office work station) was recorded in 1926.

1. A historic unit of distance frequently mentioned in the Bible and other ancient sources; traditionally the length between the tip of the middle finger and the crux of the elbow of an adult male: Mr. Jones, the archeologist, used the ancient cubit to measure the distance between the wall and the gate to the garden.
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).

1. 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.
2. Etymology: from 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 to eat."

A prone position resting on the knees and elbows, assumed for gynecologic or rectal examination or operation: Dr. McCann asked Tim 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 maintaining something at the most favorable temperature for its development: The period of incubation for the eggs of various species of animals varies from a few days to several months.
2. The slow development of something; especially, through thought and planning: Fred's essays always need a process of incubation before he publishes them: thus, allowing for revisions, etc.
3. In medicine, the development of an infection from the time the pathogen enters the body until signs or symptoms first appear: Dr. Diedrich advised Mary that the time span of incubation for the vaccine was about two weeks.
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: Sabina's cousin went to the hospital every day because her ill baby needed incubation in order to gain strength and get well.

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 is 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: Farmer Tom had several incubators for hatching the eggs of the hens so he could increase the size of his flock.
2. An apparatus in which environmental conditions can be set and controlled: The biologist used an incubator in the lab for observing the growth of rare species of orchids.
3. An enclosed system 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.