fetus
Pronunciation: /ˈfiːtəs/
(British (in non-technical use) also foetus)
Translate fetus | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of fetus
noun ( plural fetuses)
Origin:
late Middle English: from Latin fetus 'pregnancy, childbirth, offspring'
The spelling foetus has no etymological basis but is recorded from the 16th century and until recently was the standard British spelling in both technical and non-technical use. In technical usage fetus is now the standard spelling throughout the English-speaking world, but foetus is still found in British English outside technical contexts.