fetus

noun

fe·​tus ˈfē-təs How to pronounce fetus (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Instead the gestational environment starts shaping fetuses’ brain processing even before birth. Meghie Rodrigues, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2025 Those recalls were the major change in Friday’s FDA update on the outbreak, credited with sickening 20 people and killing four, one of which was a fetus, over 15 states. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025 Her 103-degree fever and dangerously low blood pressure threatened her and her fetus’s life. Tami S. Rowen, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2025 An expecting mother’s blood volume rises by 45% and even up to 50-60% percent in the late third trimester to feed the growing fetus. Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fetus

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of fetus was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetus. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

fetus

noun
fe·​tus ˈfēt-əs How to pronounce fetus (audio)
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
plural fetuses or chiefly British foetuses or foeti ˈfēt-ˌī How to pronounce fetus (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on fetus

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