foetus

/ˈfiːtəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfiːtəs/ (ame, ipa)

foetus — noun

  • foetussingular
  • foetusesplural

1. a human or animal that is still growing inside its mother's body, once it has be

1.名詞C1
釋義

a human or animal that is still growing inside its mother's body, once it has begun to form organs like a heart, brain, and limbs — usually from about the eighth week of pregnancy in humans.

例句

Mizuki saw her foetus on the ultrasound screen during her twelve-week scan.

common context: ultrasound scan + week count

By twenty weeks, the foetus can usually hear sounds from outside the mother's body.

typical pattern: by [N] weeks, the foetus + ability verb

同義詞
  • fetus

    American English spelling of the same word

  • unborn baby

    everyday phrase; warmer and less clinical, used by parents and in news writing

  • embryo

    earlier stage of development; in humans, before about eight weeks, when organs are only just beginning to form

反義詞
  • newborn

    a baby that has just been born, no longer inside the mother

文法句型

a/the foetus

foetus + of [number] weeks

用法筆記

British spelling; American English uses 'fetus'. Mostly used in medical, scientific, or formal writing — in everyday speech a pregnant person is more likely to say 'the baby'.

常見錯誤

❌Élise is pregnant with a foetus.
✅Élise is pregnant.
💡speakers don't normally say someone is pregnant 'with a foetus'; the word belongs to medical or technical contexts.
❌The fetus kicked for the first time.' (in a UK textbook)
✅The foetus kicked for the first time.
💡keep spelling consistent with the variety of English used in the document.