foetus
[ fee-tuh s ]
/ ˈfi təs /
noun, plural foe·tus·es.
Words nearby foetus
foeticide,
foetid,
foetiparous,
foetology,
foetor,
foetus,
fog,
fog bank,
fog drip,
fog fever,
fog forest
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)
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
[ fē′təs ]
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
[ 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.
Other words from fetus
fetal adjectiveCultural 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.