fetal

American  

[feet-l] / ˈfit l /

especially British, foetal

adjective

Embryology.

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

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fetal British  

/ ˈfiːtəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a fetus

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Other Word Forms

• postfetal
  adjective
• postfoetal
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of fetal

First recorded in 1735–45; fet(us) + -al ¹

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Explanation

Something that's fetal relates to the developing offspring of an animal before it's born. Fetal growth can be measured using sonograms and other tools. A fetal animal is also called a fetus, and something humans have in common with all other animals is our beginning in a fetal form, before our birth. Fetal development describes the way a fetus grows and changes over time, and when someone's in a fetal position, they're curled forward with bent arms and legs — like a fetus in its mother's womb. Fetal stems from the Latin fetus, "the bearing of young," or "a bringing forth."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fetal

They learned the oil extraction process often involves chemicals that can harm fertility or fetal health.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

As fetal hemoglobin gives way to adult hemoglobin, however, the disease begins to exert its damaging effects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

It, too, considers only fetal outcomes, reducing the woman to the same thing existing guidance does: a baby incubator.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

Prof Christoph Lees, head of fetal medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and professor of obstetrics at Imperial College London, said the research was "very promising".

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

He set it on the table, lay in the middle of the floor in the fetal position, and cried, with the reek of their musty carpet in his nostrils.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

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