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Webster 1913 Edition

Fetus

Fe′tus

(fē′tŭs)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
Fetuses
(fē′tŭs-ĕz)
.
[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 a vertebrate animal in the womb, or in the egg; often restricted to the later stages in the development of viviparous and oviparous animals. showing the main recognizable features of the mature animal,
embryo
being applied to the earlier stages.
[Written also
fœtus
.]

Webster 1828 Edition

Fetus

FE'TUS

,
Noun.
plu.
fetuses. [L. faetus.] The young of viviparous animals in the womb, and of oviparous animals in the egg, after it is perfectly formed; before which time it is called embryo. A young animal then is called a fetus from the time its parts are distinctly formed, till its birth.
Feu de joie, fire of joy, a French phrase for a bonfire, or a firing of guns in token of joy.

Definition 2024

fetus

fetus

See also: foetus and fétus

English

A fetus at eight weeks from conception.

Alternative forms

Noun

fetus ‎(plural fetuses or feti)

  1. (Canada, US) An unborn or unhatched vertebrate showing signs of the mature animal.
    • 1963, John W Choate, ‎Henry A. Thiede, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Transcript, Volume 2
      Several feti were removed from every rats' uterus, stripped of their membranes and allowed to lie in the peritoneal cavity connected to the placenta by the umbilical cord and with the placenta still attached to the uterine wall.
  2. (Canada, US) A human embryo after the eighth week of gestation.
    The sequence is: molecules in reproductive systems, then gametes, zygotes, morulas, blastocysts, and then fetuses.

Usage notes

  • The form fetus is preferred in North America and in the scientific community, whereas foetus is still commonly used in Commonwealth nations.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

Anagrams

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)-, see also Sanskrit धयति ‎(dhayati), Avestan 𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬥𐬎 ‎(daēnu), Old Armenian դիեմ ‎(diem) and Old Church Slavonic доити ‎(doiti).

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈfeː.tus/, [ˈfeː.tʊs]

Adjective

fētus m ‎(feminine fēta, neuter fētum); first/second declension

  1. pregnant, full of young
  2. fruitful, productive
  3. of one who has recently given birth; nursing

Inflection

First/second declension.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
nominative fētus fēta fētum fētī fētae fēta
genitive fētī fētae fētī fētōrum fētārum fētōrum
dative fētō fētō fētīs
accusative fētum fētam fētum fētōs fētās fēta
ablative fētō fētā fētō fētīs
vocative fēte fēta fētum fētī fētae fēta

References

Noun

fētus m ‎(genitive fētūs); fourth declension

  1. A bearing, birth, bringing forth.
  2. Offspring, young, progeny.
  3. Fruit, produce.
  4. (figuratively) Growth, production.

Inflection

Fourth declension.

Case Singular Plural
nominative fētus fētūs
genitive fētūs fētuum
dative fētuī fētibus
accusative fētum fētūs
ablative fētū fētibus
vocative fētus fētūs

Descendants

  • Occitan: feda, fedon
  • Portuguese: feto
  • Romanian: făt, fată
  • Sardinian: fedu, fetu, etu, fedus
  • Spanish: feto
  • Tunisian Arabic: فيتوس ‎(fitus)
  • Venetian: feda

Related terms

References

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fěːtus/
  • Hyphenation: fe‧tus

Noun

fétus m ‎(Cyrillic spelling фе́тус)

  1. fetus

Declension

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin fētus ‎(“offspring”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfiːtəs/
  • Rhymes: -iːtəs

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