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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Prosecutors charged Linton with murder in the death of Ryan’s fetus. 
Gregory Yee, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 That ordeal also prompts the introduction of a fetus-cam, an unfortunate device used to explore her unfulfilled longing for a child in the least subtle way possible. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 In utero, an embryo needs three types of stem cells to form: One becomes the body tissue, another the sac where the embryo develops, and the third the placenta connecting parent and fetus, according to the study. Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 5 Sep. 2022 This embryo loss typically occurs in the first two months after fertilization, before the clump of cells has developed into a fetus with immature forms of the body’s major organs. Kathryn Kavanagh, The Conversation, 1 Sep. 2022 The pathologist found a tear to the fetus’s liver that paramedics probably caused by attempts to resuscitate, and a small hemorrhage on the placenta, all documented in the autopsy report. al, 1 Sep. 2022 The LA County District Attorney has charged Linton with six counts of murder, which includes the fetus. Michael Murney, Chron, 31 Aug. 2022 Deputy District Attorney Ramona McCarthy said prosecutors would not have needed to prove that Lange knew Williams was pregnant in order to charge him with for killing the fetus. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2022 During pregnancy, the fetus also emits heat, which increases your overall body temperature. Kirsten Nunez, SELF, 25 Aug. 2022 See More
Gregory Yee, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022 That ordeal also prompts the introduction of a fetus-cam, an unfortunate device used to explore her unfulfilled longing for a child in the least subtle way possible. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2022 In utero, an embryo needs three types of stem cells to form: One becomes the body tissue, another the sac where the embryo develops, and the third the placenta connecting parent and fetus, according to the study. Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 5 Sep. 2022 This embryo loss typically occurs in the first two months after fertilization, before the clump of cells has developed into a fetus with immature forms of the body’s major organs. Kathryn Kavanagh, The Conversation, 1 Sep. 2022 The pathologist found a tear to the fetus’s liver that paramedics probably caused by attempts to resuscitate, and a small hemorrhage on the placenta, all documented in the autopsy report. al, 1 Sep. 2022 The LA County District Attorney has charged Linton with six counts of murder, which includes the fetus. Michael Murney, Chron, 31 Aug. 2022 Deputy District Attorney Ramona McCarthy said prosecutors would not have needed to prove that Lange knew Williams was pregnant in order to charge him with for killing the fetus. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2022 During pregnancy, the fetus also emits heat, which increases your overall body temperature. Kirsten Nunez, SELF, 25 Aug. 2022 See More 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 ˈfē-təs
: an animal not yet born or hatched but more developed than an embryo
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