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gestar

to gestate

verb hes-TAHR Rare

Also means

to develop

Usage Note

Gestar in its literal biological sense means to carry a foetus during pregnancy (gestar un bebé). The reflexive gestarse is more common and almost always figurative: un cambio que se estaba gestando ('a change that was taking shape'). It is used in journalism and essay writing to describe slow, underlying developments — political crises, movements, or works of art forming over time. Avoid using it for rapid events.

Examples

"El cambio social se gestó durante décadas."

Natural Translation

The social change developed over decades.

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