fetus

[ fee-tuhs ]

noun

, Embryology.

, plural fe·tus·es.

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

/ fē′təs /

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

The Amendment 4 campaign to pass the initiative ran ads that shared the story of a Florida woman who learned at 24 weeks pregnant that her fetus had no kidneys but had to carry it for three additional months knowing it would not survive.

From Slate

The fetus stood no chance of survival, but the hospital refused to terminate the pregnancy; when she miscarried the next day in the bathroom of a hair salon, she lost half the blood in her body and had to be mechanically ventilated at the hospital.

From Slate

At that second ER visit, her fetus still had a heartbeat.

From Slate

As the National Council of Jewish Women has pointed out, Jewish law does not state that life begins at conception, or that a fetus is alive.

From Slate

However, in 2022, conservative lawmakers in the state put a so-called “Born Alive” ballot measure that would have declared an embryo or fetus as a legal person in front of voters, which they rejected.

From Salon