fetus

especially British, foe·tus

[fee-tuhs]

noun

Embryology.

plural

fetuses 

1. (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

1. 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

1. 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

1. 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.

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fetus¹

C14: from Latin: offspring, brood

Example Sentences

Senate Bill 323 is the second bill introduced in the state legislature this year that would classify a fetus as a human being from fertilization, effectively categorizing abortion as homicide.

From Salon

The medical consensus is that it should only be used to battle high fevers that can be dangerous for both the mother and the developing fetus.

From Salon

In another interview, Kennedy said, “The MMR vaccine contains a lot of aborted fetus debris.”

From Salon

Her family had no choice in that decision; state law grants fetuses personhood and bans abortion after the point at which an ultrasound can detect cardiac activity in an embryo.

From Salon

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells us he doesn’t believe in germ theory but does believe in “chemtrails,” while suggesting that the measles vaccine contains aborted fetuses.

From Salon