fetal

[feet-l]

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adjective Embryology.

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

Also especially British, foe·tal.

Origin of fetal

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

Related formspost·fe·tal, adjectivepost·foe·tal, adjective

Can be confusedfatal 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

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
In the fetal position, she begins shivering from the brisk wind.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction
Abby Haglage
May 4, 2014
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

Historical Examples of fetal

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

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

Word Origin and History for fetal

adj.

1811, from fetus + -al (1).

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.

Related formsfetal adjective