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fetal position

American  

noun

  1. a bodily posture resembling that of the fetus in the uterus, in which the body is curled with head and limbs drawn in, sometimes assumed in states of fear or emotional withdrawal.

fetal position British  

noun

  1. a bodily position similar to that of a fetus in the womb, with the knees up towards the chest and the head bent forward

"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

Etymology

Origin of fetal position

First recorded in 1960–65

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.