in-cŭbo, ŭi, ĭtum, āre (rarely āvi, ātum, in the sense of to brood), 1, v. n. and a., to lie in a place or upon a thing (class.).
I Lit.: hic leno aegrotus incubat in Aesculapii fano, Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 61: namque incubare satius te fuerat Jovi, against (the statue of) Jupiter , id. ib. 2, 2, 16: umero incubat hasta, rests , lies upon her shoulder , Ov. M. 6, 593: ipsi caetris superpositis incubantes flumen tranavere, Liv. 21, 27, 5: his (utribus) incubantes tranavere amnem, Curt. 7, 21, 18.— Poet.: ferro, to fall upon one’s sword , Sen. Hippol. 259.— In part. pres. : incubans, lying near to , bordering upon : jugum mari, Plin. 6, 17, 20, § 53.—
B In partic.
1 To sit upon eggs , to brood , to hatch : gallinas incubare fetibus alienigenis patiemur, Col. 8, 5, 10: ova gallinis incubanda subicere, Plin. 10, 59, 79, § 161: ova incubita, id. 29, 3, 11, § 45.—
2 To abide or dwell in : rure incubabo in praefectura mea, Plaut. Cas. 1, 1, 21: lucos et specus, to inhabit , Ap. Met. 4, 17, 8. — Pregn.: tabernulam littori proximam, vitatis maris fluctibus, incubabant, i. e. entered and lodged , Ap. Met. 7, 7, 4.—
3 To be in , lie in , rest in or on : purpura atque auro, Sen. Thyest. 909: pavidusque pinnis anxiae noctis vigil incubabat, on his wings , id. ib. 570 sq.—
4 To cling to , fall upon , said of mourners over the dead, etc.: indigna fui marito accendisse rogum, incubuisse viro? Luc. 9, 57; 8, 727; cf. id. 2, 27 al.—
II Trop., to brood over , to watch jealously over a thing, either to keep or get possession of it: qui illi pecuniae, quam condiderat, spe jam atque animo incubaret, Cic. Clu. 26, 72: auro, Verg. G. 2, 507: divitiis, id. A. 6, 610: publicis thesauris, to retain sole possession of , Liv. 6, 15: opimae praedae, Flor. 2, 10, 2.—
2 To press upon , weigh upon , be a burden to , fasten on : ut inhaerentem atque incubantem Italiae extorqueret Annibalem, Flor. 2, 6, 57: protervus menti furor, Sen. Hippol. 268: illi mors gravis incubat, id. Thyest. 401.—
3 To settle on , attach one’s self to any thing. — Absol. , of bees: nisi incubavere, Plin. 11, 16, 15, § 45.— Usually with dat.: leo victor armento incubat, Sen. Thyest. 733: ponto nox incubat atra, glooms over , darkens , Verg. A. 1, 89: quamvis ipsis urbis faucibus incubaret, took up a position at , Flor. 1, 10, 2; but cf.: pigra incubat Caligo terras, Avien. Or. Mar. 236: caelum quod incubat urbi, Val. Fl. 2, 494.