Library / English Dictionary

FETUS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An unborn or unhatched vertebrate in the later stages of development showing the main recognizable features of the mature animal

Synonyms:

fetus; foetus

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("fetus" is a kind of...):

craniate; vertebrate (animals having a bony or cartilaginous skeleton with a segmented spinal column and a large brain enclosed in a skull or cranium)

Meronyms (parts of "fetus"):

ductus arteriosus (a blood vessel in a fetus that bypasses pulmonary circulation by connecting the pulmonary artery directly to the ascending aorta; normally closes at birth)

umbilical; umbilical cord (membranous duct connecting the fetus with the placenta)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fetus"):

monster; teras ((medicine) a grossly malformed and usually nonviable fetus)

abortus (a human fetus whose weight is less than 0.5 kilogram when removed or expelled from the mother's body)

baby (an unborn child; a human fetus)

Derivation:

fetal (of or relating to a fetus)

Credits

 Context examples: 

A rare neural tube defect during pregnancy, resulting in the absence of a large portion of the brain and skull in the fetus.

(Anencephaly, NCI Thesaurus)

Both male and female fetuses do not grow as large in older mothers, but there are sex-specific differences in changes to placental development and function.

(Placenta changes could mean male offspring of older mums more likely to develop heart problems in later life, University of Cambridge)

Transplacental infection of the fetus with rubella usually in the first trimester of pregnancy, as a consequence of maternal infection, resulting in various developmental abnormalities in the newborn infant.

(Congenital Rubella, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Factors that may contribute to miscarriage include: • A genetic problem with the fetus • Problems with the uterus or cervix • Polycystic ovary syndrome

(Miscarriage, NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)

The number of pregnancies reaching 20 weeks and 0 days of gestation or beyond, regardless of the number of fetuses or outcomes.

(Parity, NCI Thesaurus)

A rare type of teratoma that arises from the ovary and resembles a malformed fetus.

(Ovarian Fetiform Teratoma, NCI Thesaurus)

This can result from sharing space with a smoker or from placental transfer from mother to fetus.

(Passive Smoke Exposure, NCI Thesaurus)

Death of a fetus, neonate, or patient 20 years or younger.

(Pediatric Death, NCI Thesaurus)

The organ that nourishes the developing fetus in the uterus.

(Placenta, NCI Dictionary)

The actual time that is one minute after the birth of a fetus.

(One Minute After Birth, NCI Thesaurus)