Lewis & Short

1. 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.).

  1. 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.
    1. B. In partic.
      1. 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. 2. To abide or dwell in: rure incubabo in praefectura mea, Plaut. Cas. 1, 1, 21: lucos et specus, to inhabit, App. M. 4, p. 150, 15.
        Pregn.: tabernulam littori proximam, vitatis maris fluctibus, incubabant, i. e. entered and lodged, App. M. 7, p. 190.
      3. 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. 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.
  2. 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.
      1. 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.
      2. 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.