English

Noun

fœtus ‎(plural fœtuses or fœti)

1. (Britain, rare, hypercorrect) Nonstandard spelling of fetus.

French

Alternative forms

• (rare) fétus

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin fētus. This spelling is originally a hypercorrection (which already arises in Latin, where foetus is also found), but is today almost the only one in use. The spelling fétus, though etymologically more correct (and thus promoted by some grammarians), is of very limited usage.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fe.tys/
• (disputed) IPA^(key): /fø.tys/

Noun

fœtus m ‎(plural fœtus)

1. fetus

Derived terms

• fœtal

Related terms

• faon