foetus

[ fee-tuh s ]
/ ˈfi təs /

noun, plural foe·tus·es.

Definition for foetus (2 of 2)

fetus
[ fee-tuh s ]
/ ˈfi təs /

noun, plural fe·tus·es. Embryology.

(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.
Also especially British, foe·tus.
Compare embryo(def 1).

Origin of fetus

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin fētus bringing forth of young, hence that which is born, offspring, young still in the womb, equivalent to fē- (v. base attested in L only in noun derivatives, as fēmina woman, fēcundus fecund, etc.; compare Greek thēsthai to suck, milk, Old High German tāan to suck, Old Irish denid (he) sucks) + -tus suffix of v. action

Example sentences from the Web for foetus

British Dictionary definitions for foetus (1 of 2)

foetus
/ (ˈfiːtəs) /

noun plural -tuses

a variant spelling of fetus

British Dictionary definitions for foetus (2 of 2)

fetus

foetus

/ (ˈfiːtəs) /

noun plural -tuses

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 (def. 2)

Word Origin for fetus

C14: from Latin: offspring, brood

Medical definitions for foetus

fetus
[ fētəs ]

n. pl. fe•tus•es

The unborn young of a viviparous vertebrate having a basic structural resemblance to the adult animal.
In humans, the unborn young from the end of the eighth week after conception to the moment of birth.

Scientific definitions for foetus

fetus
[ fētəs ]

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.

Other words from fetus

fetal adjective

Cultural definitions for foetus

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.