Embryo

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Embryo \Em"bry*o\, n.; pl. {Embryos}. [F. embryon, Gr.
     'e`mbryon, perh. fr. ? in (akin to L. ? E. in) + ? to be full
     of, swell with; perh. akin to E. brew.] (Biol.)
     The first rudiments of an organism, whether animal or plant;
     as:
     (a) The young of an animal in the womb, or more specifically,


         before its parts are developed and it becomes a fetus
         (see {Fetus}).
     (b) The germ of the plant, which is inclosed in the seed and
         which is developed by germination.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     {In embryo}, in an incipient or undeveloped state; in
        conception, but not yet executed. "The company little
        suspected what a noble work I had then in embryo."
        --Swift.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Embryo \Em"bry*o\, a.
     Pertaining to an embryo; rudimentary; undeveloped; as, an
     embryo bud.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  embryo
       n 1: (botany) a minute rudimentary plant contained within a seed
            or an archegonium
       2: an animal organism in the early stages of growth and
          differentiation that in higher forms merge into fetal
          stages but in lower forms terminate in commencement of
          larval life [syn: {conceptus}, {fertilized egg}]