Fetus

2 definitions found

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

  Fetus \Fe"tus\ (f[=e]"t[u^]s), n.; pl. {Fetuses}
     (f[=e]"t[u^]s*[e^]z). [L. fetus, foetus, a bringing forth,
     brood, offspring, young ones, cf. fetus fruitful, fructified,
     that is or was filled with young; akin to E. fawn a deer,
     fecundity, felicity, feminine, female, and prob. to do, or
     according to others, to be.]


     The young or embryo of a vertebrate animal in the womb, or in
     the egg; often restricted to the later stages in the
     development of viviparous and oviparous animals. showing the
     main recognizable features of the mature animal, {embryo}
     being applied to the earlier stages. [Written also
     {f[oe]tus}.]
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  fetus
       n : an unborn or unhatched vertebrate in the later stages of
           development showing the main recognizable features of the
           mature animal [syn: {foetus}]