fetus
pronunciation
How to pronounce fetus in British English:
UK [ˈfiːtəs]
How to pronounce fetus in American English:
US [ˈfiːtəs]
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- Noun:
- an unborn or unhatched vertebrate in the later stages of development showing the main recognizable features of the mature animal
Word Origin
- fetus (n.)
- late 14c., "the young while in the womb or egg" (tending to mean vaguely the embryo in the later stage of development), from Latin fetus (often, incorrectly, foetus) "the bearing or hatching of young, a bringing forth," from Latin base *fe- "to generate, bear," also "to suck, suckle" (see fecund). In Latin, fetus sometimes was transferred figuratively to the newborn creature itself, or used in a sense of "offspring, brood" (as in Horace's "Germania quos horrida parturit Fetus"), but this was not the basic meaning. It also was used of plants, in the sense of "fruit, produce, shoot," and figuratively as "growth, production." The spelling foetus is sometimes attempted as a learned Latinism, but it is not historic.
Example
- 1. When the fetus first receives the stimulation , it is startled .
- 2. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can harm a developing fetus .
- 3. The fetus , which had been active and kicking , stopped moving .
- 4. As the fetus develops , testosterone kicks in for those with xy chromosomes .
- 5. It is also dangerous to pregnant women because it easily passes through to the fetus .