fetus

noun

fe·​tus ˈfē-təs 

: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind

specifically : a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth compare embryo sense 1a

Examples of fetus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Legal experts anticipate that the Court's ruling in the Idaho case, called Moyle v. U.S., could establish a significant precedent regarding whether emergency medical care can be denied to a pregnant woman in distress in order to save the fetus. —Nik Popli, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024

If a condition arises later in pregnancy and the fetus can be delivered, there is no conflict between federal and state law, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in a court filing. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2024

Prior to Dobbs, physicians would be able to provide medication to fully expel the fetus and so reduce the risk of infection and hemorrhaging. —Olivia Goldhill, STAT, 22 Apr. 2024

Instead, she was transferred to Oregon, where the second fetus died before doctors could terminate the pregnancy. —Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 22 Apr. 2024

But little is known about the impact of those drugs on a fetus. —Eshe Nelson Charlotte De La Fuente, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024

The state only limits abortions after the point of viability, which is when a physician determines based on medical judgment that there is a reasonable likelihood the fetus can survive outside the uterus without extraordinary medical measures. —Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024

The team carefully monitors the fetus's heart rate, blood pressure and other vital signs. —Rob Stein, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024

There have been cases in recent years of women with troubled pregnancies who died after doctors prioritized keeping the fetuses alive. —Vanessa Gera, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, act of bearing young, offspring; akin to Latin fetus newly delivered, fruitful — more at feminine

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fetus

noun

fe·​tus ˈfēt-əs 

plural fetuses

: a young animal while in the body of its mother or in the egg especially in the later stages of development

especially : a developing human being in the uterus from usually two months after pregnancy occurs to birth compare embryo sense 1

Medical Definition

fetus

noun

fe·​tus

variants or chiefly British foetus

ˈfēt-əs 

plural fetuses or chiefly British foetuses or foeti ˈfēt-ˌī 

: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind

specifically : a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth compare embryo