embryo

em·bryo

noun \ˈem-brē-ˌō\

plural em·bry·os

Definition of EMBRYO

1

a archaic : a vertebrate at any stage of development prior to birth or hatching b : an animal in the early stages of growth and differentiation that are characterized by cleavage, the laying down of fundamental tissues, and the formation of primitive organs and organ systems; especially : the developing human individual from the time of implantation to the end of the eighth week after conception

2

: the young sporophyte of a seed plant usually comprising a rudimentary plant with plumule, radicle, and cotyledons

3

a : something as yet undeveloped b : a beginning or undeveloped state of something <productions seen in embryo during their out-of-town tryout period — Henry Hewes>

Origin of EMBRYO

Medieval Latin embryon-, embryo, from Greek embryon, from en- + bryein to swell; akin to Greek bryon catkin

First Known Use: 1548

Other Embryology Terms

gravid, neonate, ontogeny, parturition

Rhymes with EMBRYO

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