An embryo is an unborn animal or human being in the very early stages of development.
The embryo lives in the amniotic cavity.
...the remarkable resilience of very young embryos.
Synonyms: fetus, unborn child, fertilized egg More Synonyms of embryo
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
An embryo idea, system, or organization is in the very early stages of development, but is expected to grow stronger.
They are an embryo party of government.
It was an embryo idea rather than a fully worked proposal.
3.
See be in embryo
More Synonyms of embryo
embryo in British English
(ˈɛmbrɪˌəʊ)
nounWord forms: plural-bryos
1.
an animal in the early stages of development following cleavage of the zygote and ending at birth or hatching
2.
the human product of conception up to approximately the end of the second month of pregnancy
Compare fetus
3.
a plant in the early stages of development: in higher plants, the plumule, cotyledons, and radicle within the seed
4.
an undeveloped or rudimentary state (esp in the phrase in embryo)
5.
something in an early stage of development
an embryo of an idea
Derived forms
embryoid (ˈembryˌoid)
adjective
Word origin
C16: from Late Latin, from Greek embruon, from bruein to swell
embryo in American English
(ˈɛmbriˌoʊ)
nounWord forms: pluralˈembryˌos
1.
an animal in the earliest stages of its development in the uterus or the egg, specif., in humans, from conception to about the eighth week
see also fetus
2.
a.
an early or undeveloped stage of something
b.
anything in such a stage
3.
the rudimentary plant contained in a seed, usually made up of hypocotyl, radicle, plumule, and cotyledons
adjective
4.
embryonic
Word origin
ME embrio < ML embryo < Gr embryon, embryo, fetus, thing newly born, neut. of embryos, growing in < en-, in + bryein, to swell, be full
embryo- in American English
(ˈɛmbriˌoʊ)
embryo, embryonic
embryology
: also, before a vowel, ˈembry-
Examples of 'embryo' in a sentence
embryo
The experiments on genetically modifying human embryos have required special licences.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They were made into embryos and grown for two weeks, then frozen.
The Sun (2016)
Q&A What is human embryo testing?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This is where embryos are screened before being put back into the womb.
The Sun (2010)
What was true of splitting the atom is true of modifying the genes in a human embryo.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The advance reported today would make that possible without destroying the cloned embryo.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The process of screening for embryos was successful though.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
She compared them with the stem cells that can be obtained from early embryos.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They are against testing on human embryos in all circumstances.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Screening of embryos is more likely to have to be paid for by individuals.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
There is also a shortage of the human eggs and embryos needed to produce stem cells.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Medics took stem cells from human embryos and grew them in a lab.
The Sun (2012)
It has already restricted embryo transfers to a maximum of two and wants single embryo transfers to become standard.
The Sun (2008)
This then grows into an embryo.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Below that age, a maximum of two embryos can be transferred.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The embryos will grow to about 250 cells.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
When two carriers do marry, they are offered embryo screening.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It also required invasive biopsy of a fragile early embryo, which is difficult to do without inflicting damage.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
By growing cells from embryos with diseases like cystic fibrosis, we can learn more about the condition and treatments.
The Sun (2008)
Researchers obtain them from very early embryos, when they are five to six days old and about the size of a full stop.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It may be perhaps that the embryos have been lost - or in the worst case scenario an embryo has been transferred into the wrong patient.
The Sun (2010)
In other languages
embryo
British English: embryo NOUN
An embryo is an unborn animal or human being in the very early stages of development.
The embryo lives in the amniotic cavity.
American English: embryo
Brazilian Portuguese: embrião
Chinese: 胚胎
European Spanish: embrión
French: embryon
German: Embryo
Italian: embrione
Japanese: 胎芽
Korean: 태아
European Portuguese: embrião
Latin American Spanish: embrión
All related terms of 'embryo'
embryo sac
the structure within a plant ovule that contains the egg cell: develops from the megaspore and contains the embryo plant and endosperm after fertilization
pre-embryo
the structure formed after fertilization of an ovum but before differentiation of embryonic tissue
be in embryo
Something that is in embryo is at a very early stage of its development .
embryo research
Research is work that involves studying something and trying to discover facts about it.
embryo transfer
the transfer of a developing embryo to or from the uterus of a surrogate mother
embryo vitrification
a method of in vitro fertilization in which the embryo is exposed to a vitreous solution and frozen before being thawed and implanted into the uterus
Chinese translation of 'embryo'
embryo
(ˈɛmbrɪəu)
n(c)
(Bio) 胚胎 (pēitāi) (个(個), gè)
in embryo (fig) 在酝(醞)酿(釀)中 (zài yùnniàng zhōng)
1 (noun)
Definition
an unborn animal or human being in the early stages of development, in humans up to approximately the end of the second month of pregnancy
The embryo lives in the amniotic cavity.
Synonyms
fetus
The fetus can see, hear, experience and taste.
unborn child
fertilized egg
2 (noun)
Definition
something in an early stage of development
The League of Nations was the embryo of the UN.
Synonyms
germ
The germ of an idea took root in her mind.
beginning
source
This gave me a clue as to the source of the problem.
root
We got to the root of the problem.
seed
a packet of cabbage seed
nucleus
rudiment
Additional synonyms
in the sense of beginning
Definition
an origin
Synonyms
seed,
root,
embryo,
germ,
fount,
fountainhead
in the sense of root
Definition
the essential part or nature of something
We got to the root of the problem.
Synonyms
source,
cause,
heart,
bottom,
beginnings,
base,
seat,
occasion,
seed,
foundation,
origin,
core,
fundamental,
essence,
nucleus,
starting point,
germ,
crux,
nub,
derivation,
fountainhead,
mainspring
in the sense of seed
Definition
the mature fertilized grain of a plant, containing an embryo ready for germination