fetal

[ feet-l ]

/ ˈfit l /

adjective Embryology.

of, relating to, or having the character of a fetus.

Words nearby fetal

festuca, festy, fet, fet-, feta, fetal, fetal age, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, fetal aspiration syndrome, fetal diagnosis

Also especially British, foe·tal.

Origin of fetal

First recorded in 1805–15; fet(us) + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM fetal

post·fe·tal, adjectivepost·foe·tal, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH fetal

fatal fateful fetal (see synonym study at fatal)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fetal

But she was in one of the 38 states that do have a fetal homicide law.
Charged With Murder for a Miscarriage in Oklahoma|Michael Daly|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some scientists assert there are three times as many cases of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders than FAS cases.
Internet’s Ridiculous Uproar Over Bar Bathroom Pregnancy Tests|Allison Yarrow|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Curled into a fetal position on an outdoor, candle-lit matt in Costa Rica, the 18-year-old trembles in fear.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction|Abby Haglage|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the fetal position, she begins shivering from the brisk wind.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction|Abby Haglage|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This means that fetal viability seems to be evolving with science.
How Wendy Davis Became America’s Conscience on Abortion|Keli Goff|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Let him lie on his right side, for this favors the complete closure of the fetal heart valve, the foramen ovale.
The Mother and Her Child|William S. Sadler
If the fetal head is not engaged in the pelvis, puncture must not be attempted.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
Some terata, as the Acephalia, have no brain or spinal cord, but they die in the fetal stage.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
In a series of 705 fetal deaths in Johns Hopkins Hospital, 26.4 per cent.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley
In fact, the fetal blood never comes in direct contact with that of the mother, or vice versa.
Private Sex Advice to Women|R. B. Armitage

British Dictionary definitions for fetal

fetal

foetal

/ (ˈfiːtəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a fetus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for fetal

fetal

[ fēt′l ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or being a fetus.

Science definitions for fetal

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 adjective