fetal

adjective

fe·​tal ˈfē-tᵊl How to pronounce fetal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a fetus

Examples of fetal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Cleveland Clinic says that branchial cysts can form during fetal development, when branchial arches—which are responsible for developing certain parts of your head and neck—don’t fuse, or grow together. Ani Freedman, Fortune Well, 16 Oct. 2024 The doctrine of fetal personhood—which says that a full human life begins at the fertilization of an egg—has obvious legal inanities built in regarding taxes, insurance, litigation, etc. Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2024 Many laws related to fetal personhood and criminalization of pregnant people were passed when there was no way to enforce them and now, courts across the country are working through what that means. Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 24 Sep. 2024 The misoprostol works to expel fetal tissue from the uterus. Ziva Branstetter, ProPublica, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fetal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fetal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fetal was in 1736

Dictionary Entries Near fetal

Cite this Entry

“Fetal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetal. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

fetal

adjective
fe·​tal ˈfēt-ᵊl How to pronounce fetal (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a fetus

Medical Definition

fetal

adjective
fe·​tal
variants or chiefly British foetal
: of, relating to, or being a fetus

More from Merriam-Webster on fetal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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