Fetus

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfiːtÉ™s/
• Rhymes: -iːtÉ™s

Alternative forms

• UK, hypercorrect foetus
• UK, rare, hypercorrect fÅ“tus
• chiefly Canadian and US fetus
• obsolete, erroneous phoetus, phÅ“tus
• obsolete, erroneous faetus, fætus

Origin

From Latin fētus ("offspring").

Full definition of fetus

Noun

1. An unborn or unhatched vertebrate showing signs of the mature animal.
2. A human embryo after the 8^th week of gestation.The sequence is; molecules in reproductive systems, then gametes, zygotes, morulas, blastocysts, and then fetuses.

Usage notes

The form fetus is preferred in North America and in the scientific community, whereas foetus is still commonly used in Commonwealth nations.

Derived terms

• fetal

Anagrams

• UTFSE