Fe"tus (?), n.;
pl. Fetuses (#). [L. fetus, foetus, a bringing
forth, brood, offspring, young ones, cf. fetus fruitful, fructified, that is or was filled
with young; akin to E. fawn a deer, fecundity, felicity, feminine, female,
and prob. to do, or according to others, to be.]
The young or
embryo of an animal in
the womb, or
in the egg;
often restricted to the later stages in the development of viviparous and oviparous animals, embryo being applied to the earlier stages. [Written also fœtus.]
Hear it pronounced