SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

fetal position

noun

Definition of fetal position

: a position (as of a sleeping person) in which the body lies curled up on one side with the arms and legs drawn up and the head bowed forward and which is assumed in some forms of psychic regression

See fetal position defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of fetal position

1963

FETAL POSITION Defined for English Language Learners

fetal position

noun

Definition of fetal position for English Language Learners

: a position in which you lie on your side with both legs and both arms bent and pulled up to your chest and with your head bowed forward

Medical Dictionary

fetal position

noun

Medical Definition of fetal position

: a position (as of a sleeping person) in which the body lies curled up on one side with the arms and legs drawn up toward the chest and the head is bowed forward and which is assumed in some forms of psychological regression

Learn More about fetal position

See words that rhyme with fetal position

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up fetal position? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

flagrant

play

conspicuously offensive

BROWSE DICTIONARY

fetalization

fetal membrane

fetal position

fetal rickets

fetch

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which came first?

sarcastic snarky

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-599ca1388698f

Drawing a Conclusion About "Sketchy"

How did "sketchy" come to describe creeps?

2-pairs-of-scissors

What's the Singular of 'Scissors'?

A tricky, double-edged word origin.

a-woman-waits-at-the-end-of-a-gloomy-pier-does-she-wait-for-charon-the-ferryman-to-the-underworld-it-is-dark-but-she-carries-a-parasol

Great Words for Twilight and Darkness

Words for the goth in all of us

bunch-of-yellow-balloons-lit-by-the-sun

Helium: This Word Brought to You by a Solar Eclipse

And by the Sun, with some help from Greek.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless

Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals

Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz

Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz

True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game