View synonyms for fetus

fetus

[ fee-tuhs ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Embryology.

plural fetuses.

(used chiefly of viviparous mammals) the young of an animal in the womb or egg, especially in the later stages of development when the body structures are in the recognizable form of its kind, in humans after the end of the second month of gestation.

fetus

/ ˈfiːtəs /

noun

the embryo of a mammal in the later stages of development, when it shows all the main recognizable features of the mature animal, esp a human embryo from the end of the second month of pregnancy until birth Compare embryo

fetus

/ fē′təs /

The unborn offspring of a mammal at the later stages of its development, especially a human from eight weeks after fertilization to its birth. In a fetus, all major body organs are present.

fetus

The embryo of an animal that bears its young alive (rather than laying eggs ). In humans, the embryo is called a fetus after all major body structures have formed; this stage is reached about sixty days after fertilization .

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Word History and Origins

Origin of fetus¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin fētus “bringing forth of young,” hence “that which is born, offspring, young still in the womb,” equivalent to fē- (verb base attested in Latin only in noun derivatives, as fēmina “woman,” fēcundus “fertile,” fīlius “son,” fīlia “daughter,” etc.; compare Greek thēsthai “to suck, milk,” Old High German tāan “to suck,” Old Irish denid “(he) sucks,” Slavic (Polish) doić “to milk” + -tus suffix of verb action; fecund

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Word History and Origins

Origin of fetus¹

C14: from Latin: offspring, brood

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Example Sentences

On certain occasions, a llama fetus is added to the mix.

From Salon

The video, Stockton argued, fails to include a sex education component and instead offers "misleading" context in an effort to teach pubescent children that a fetus is a human life.

From Salon

The only question is whether the woman should be left to die along with her fetus.

From Salon

"To borrow that language or to copy that language and apply it to fetuses, is a particularly insidious form of co-optation," she said.

From Salon

The surge in this life-threatening condition, caused by infection, was most pronounced for patients whose fetus may still have had a heartbeat when they arrived at the hospital.

From Salon

fettucine feu

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