fetus
fetus Lexical Profile
fetus Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An unborn or unhatched vertebrate offspring after it has attained the basic structural plan of its kind; specifically, a developing human from the ninth week after conception until birth.
"The ultrasound allowed the doctor to monitor the growth and heartbeat of the fetus."
Word Nuance & Usage
In human embryology, 'embryo' refers to the developing organism from fertilization until the end of the eighth week, after which it is medically termed a 'fetus' until birth. While 'foetus' is a common British spelling in lay usage, 'fetus' is the standard etymologically correct spelling in scientific and medical writing worldwide.
• Rhymes for fetus
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late Middle English period directly from Latin 'fētus', meaning 'offspring, pregnancy, or a bringing forth', from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to suckle'.